Dragon Reverie
by deltro
Summary: AU. Hiccup is tired of being the useless wimp of the tribe. He finally decides to run away, to start a new life. He encounters many new friends, and certain family members. But what happens when he returns to Berk with a few big surprises? And with the enemy closing in?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Welcome to my newest story! I know, I know… I need to stop making more stories. Sorry! I just couldn't resist. I love runaway stories with How to Train Your Dragon! So, why not make one myself? Anyways, welcome to "Dragon Reverie".**

 **Chapter Name:** Contemplation

 **Chapter Summary:** Hiccup has always been the outcast, the weakling, the disappointment. Why live somewhere in which no one even cares about you? He begins seriously contemplating ways to get people to like him. But what happens when he thinks of running away? Will he actually do it? And will he ever return?

 **Chapter Rating:** T, for violence and slight depression

 **Chapter Song:** Me, Myself and Time, by Demi Lovato

 **Pairing:** Eventual Hiccstrid (Hiccup x Astrid)

 **Important notes:** This is an AU where Hiccup runs away after the beginning events in the first film. Berk will still have issues with dragons, even after Hiccup has left.

 **WARNINGS:** Story includes violence and slight depression

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do NOT own How to Train Your Dragon, nor am I in any way associated with the movies.

XXX

I'm what they call disappointment. Well, either that word or about a hundred others. Such as weak, scrawny, fish-bone, outcast, the list goes on. Why do I even bother anymore? Everyone hates me. I'm not sure why I haven't died yet. I've had so many close calls with dragons, but someone is always there to save me. Sometimes I wonder why they even try.

My name is Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, and I'm a useless boy. Everyone around me is growing up, building muscle and gaining strength. Me? I feel like I'm just getting weaker. Everyone looks down at me. Literally, I'm tiny.

Would people even care if I got killed? What if I got injured? Would they even bring me to the Healer to save me? Or leave me somewhere to rot?

I'm getting tired of this place. I'm so tired of being made fun of, being picked on, and being the disappointment. Why doesn't someone go ahead and finish the job of killing me? None of those dragons ever managed to succeed, but only because I was lucky. Yeah, that's what it was. Luck.

I'm not sure how I could gain the Berkians' respect. Maybe I could get a private trainer? Or bribe Snotlout into helping me gain muscle? No, there was just no way to do that. He was rude and obnoxious, not to mention arrogant. Plus, he's my main bully.

Yeah, yeah, I get bullied. Awesome, right? I don't know how people find fun in doing it. I mean—it hurts me. It never give them some sort of reward for bullying me, besides seeing me in pain. Did they think hurting me was an accomplishment?

If I had one chance, just one, I would try my very best to gain everyone's respect. Maybe then I could be normal. But it's not as simple as that. Everyone hates me! No matter what I did, I was always a screw-up! I messed everything up. It was annoying and bothersome to always get beaten down because of my clumsiness and weaknesses.

I just wish, for once in my life, that I could fit in. I try my best to be the best Viking there ever was, but it never works. I tried killing a dragon once. I failed miserably. Not only did that dragon escape, but it took a couple of our sheep with it, too.

My father always hated me. I know he does. My mother? She's dead. Somewhere in Valhalla I'd imagine. She was taken by a dragon. Dad never talks about her. When he does, he quickly changes the subject afterwards. I hate it. I want to know what my mom was like. I wanted to have someone I could rely on. Just one person I could depend on would be great.

So here I am now, sitting on a boulder while doodling in my journal. I was in my secret cove, where no one could find me and my dragon companion, Toothless. He's a Night Fury, and probably the last of his kind, too. I wonder what it's like to be so lonely, so abandoned and… oh wait, I already know what it's like.

I grumbled to myself, closing my journal and tossing it aside. There was nothing to do. Recently in dragon training I've been getting worse. I'm terrible at physical activity. I'm just a mess. What other words could possibly describe me? Right, hundreds.

I exhaled sharply, staring into the pond located in our secret cove. I frowned in thought, glaring at the rippling water. I wonder what it's like to be normal. To be popular, loved, cared for.

Suddenly, I heard a thump beside me. The sun was blocked out from my eyes, causing me to glance up. It was Toothless. He was sitting in front of me, staring at me with wide, emerald-green eyes. I smiled softly at him. He was my best, and only, friend.

"Hey, bud," I murmured. "I'm just thinking. I know I must sound crazy, talking to an animal, but I just… I just want to escape this all."

It was as though he understood me. He nudged against my hand, as if comforting me. I quickly rubbed the top of his scaled head, chuckling as he purred. "I just wish I could… be free."

I stared off into the sky, checking over things I could do to find relief. What if I tried training with Gobber? Could he get me to grow tougher? Or what about Toothless? Could he help me? No, no. I knew it was no use. I would just never be a good Viking. I would always be Hiccup the useless, Hiccup the weak, Hiccup the fish-bone. You would think I'd have gotten used to being called names, bullied, and looked down upon, but no. I still feel horrible every time I mess up and get in trouble for it. Like when Fishlegs was once my friend, but I somehow screwed that up. He just stopped talking to me and began ignoring me.

I sighed, getting to my feet. "I think it's time I headed home," I murmured to Toothless. He crooned, poking at my side. I smiled gently, scratching his cheek. He instantly leaned into my touch. "Sorry, Toothless. I've gotta go. I'll see you tomorrow. Oh, and with more fish," I assured, grabbing my journal and exiting the cove.

I began my trek back towards my house, which was also the Chief's house. Yes, my dad is the Chief of the Berkians. His name is Stoick the Vast. Lots of people know about him. They've either met him, heard rumors, or just knew of him. Just like me. Well, except for the fact that when I'm known it's usually in a bad way.

I strolled down the path to the village, journal concealed in the inside of my vest. I frowned as people gave me disapproving looks as I passed by them. They all looked at me with disgust or disappointment. I just hated feeling this way all the time. It was a terrible feeling.

When I reached my house, I quickly headed up to my room and plopped onto my bed. I stifled a groan with my pillow, wanting nothing more than to sleep and escape my troubles. But then I would only be awoken to more.

I sighed, snuggling up into my fur coats, then staring out my window in thought. What if I started learning more about dragons? Then I could beat them in battle? Or maybe—

'You could run away,' a voice chimed in.

I frowned in confusion. What?

'Run away. It's simple. You can leave with Toothless, explore the world, get stronger, maybe make some actual friends,' the voice responded.

I furrowed my eyebrows, lost in my own mind. Was this voice right? Could I actually run away? What if the members of Berk found me? No, what was I thinking, of course they wouldn't be able to find me! They wouldn't even be searching for me!

I sighed, covering my face with my blankets. I curled into myself, hoping to find some type of comfort in myself. Maybe I could do it? What if I actually ran away, and found new places and new dragons? That'd be cool! And definitely better than just being stuck here. Everyone here hated me. God, what was the point of still being here?

Eventually I drifted off into a deep slumber, which quickly eased my racing mind. The last thought in my head was of me running away. Could it work?


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Oh my gosh. Dude, I'm witnessing the worst storm I've ever seen. There's hail, LOTS of rain, wind, and so on. My mom and I were driving in the middle of it. Well, I'm home now… and my dog is hiding with me. Hope you enjoy the second chapter!**

 **Chapter Name:** Preparations

 **Chapter Summary:** Hiccup is beginning to prepare for his new journey: he's going to run away. What all can he do to get ready for this adventure?

 **Chapter Rating:** T, for violence and slight depression

 **Chapter Song:** Me, Myself and Time, by Demi Lovato

 **Pairing:** Eventual Hiccstrid (Hiccup x Astrid)

 **Important notes:** This is an AU where Hiccup runs away after the beginning events in the first film. Berk will still have issues with dragons, even after Hiccup has left.

 **WARNINGS:** Story includes violence and slight depression

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do NOT own How to Train Your Dragon, nor am I in any way associated with the movies.

XXX

When I woke up it was around noon. The sun was high in the sky, signaling it was past morning. I groaned, reluctantly climbing out of my comfortable covers. I couldn't help but yawn at my exhaustion, feeling tired and drowsy. When I woke up I wasn't always refreshed. Sometimes I had nightmares and they made me toss and turn, which caused me to sweat.

Despite the grogginess of today, I began getting ready for the day. In a couple of hours dragon training would be taking place at the arena. I think it was something about a Hideous Zippleback. Hopefully I wouldn't screw things up like I usually do.

Suddenly, the memories of last night came flooding back. Where I was lying in bed, thinking over what I could do to get people to like me. I wanted to run away.

Could I really do it? What all would I need? What if people missed me?

'Like people would miss you!' a voice snapped.

I sighed, wiping a hand down my face. I was getting sick and tired of having to deal with myself. It was bothersome to have to ignore the annoying voices in my head. I know I sound crazy, but it's all true.

I sighed, running a hand through my messy hair. What could I do, besides running away, to get people to like me?

Silence.

I exhaled sharply, heading to my desk to grab my journal and pencil. When I found it, I began doodling random sketches. Most of them consisted of me flying with Toothless.

And suddenly I felt the urge to get deeper into my own thoughts. To find out why I should run away, and if I should actually do it. I frowned in wonder, pondering over my options. I could run away with Toothless, start a new life, and so on. Or, I could stay here and continue to be discriminated against.

That's it. I was going to do it.

I could already feel my anxiety creeping up, growing stronger. I felt sick to my stomach with worry. What if someone followed me to the forest? What if they spotted Toothless? Or what if I got caught while trying to run away? What would everyone say?

I quickly shook my head, trying to get rid of my worried thoughts. I needed to focus. What would I need? Food, water, medical supplies….

I began stashing my journal away, then grabbing an old backpack of mine. I slowly edged down the stairs, trying to make sure my dad wasn't home. I couldn't have him catching me while I packed some food.

Thankfully, he was gone. He was most likely off to do chief duties and whatnot. So I began packing some supplies. I stuffed my bag with food, pitchers of water, and our very few medical supplies we hid in the cabinet. Would this be enough?

I glanced around, making sure I didn't miss anything I would need. Weapons! I would need weapons.

So I headed to my dad's room, which was dark and gloomy. I examined the walls, searching for any of his weapons. Aha! I spotted a few blades hanging up on the wall next to his bed. Would they be too heavy for me to lift?

I tried lifting one up, and was surprised at how heavy it was. I was still able to lift it up and down, but it was heavier than it looked. Nonetheless, I packed two of his knives into my bag, then returned to my room.

I added my small knife to the bag, then shut it tightly. Great, now what? What else did I need?

I took long glimpses of my bedroom, searching for what else I would need on this journey. Yes! Paper. I needed a journal where I could jog down some notes, like on dragons and herbs I could find on my trip. So I took one of my empty notebooks, then grabbed a few more pencils and a sharpener.

I was glad I had something to distract myself with. If I wasn't distracted, then I would be freaking out. Would I be able to escape? Would I make it alive in the outside world?

The bag was definitely full by now. I sighed, realizing I would need another one. Luckily I had yet another backpack in my closet, but it was just a tad bit smaller than the other one. Maybe I could steal some supplies from Gobber? So I could continue making weapons?

I nodded to myself, liking the idea. I just hated going outside, though. I didn't like the glares I received from my fellow villagers. They were cold and disapproving, which definitely brought down my self-esteem.

Nonetheless, I decided it would be good to head to the forge. I would be needing the materials to make more weapons when I ran away.

So I carried my second backpack with me, heading straight to the forge. I tried my best to ignore the glances I earned, but it was no use. I felt so horrible when people looked at me like I was a mistake. Well, I was, though. Still, it didn't help when people silently pointed it out.

When I reached the forge I quickly stuffed my empty backpack with objects I would need. Blades, sharpeners, and more. I even took another knife or two from the wall of weapons.

By the time I was done, I had returned home and was sitting on my bed, lost in thought. How could I break the news to Berk? Should I just leave without a trace? Or should I leave a note, perhaps? No… no I knew the perfect idea! Sure, the Berkians wouldn't actually come search for me, but what if they saw me in the future? What if they thought I looked familiar, and then recognized me? I needed to do something that would throw them off my trail.

I would fake my death. Simple as that. I could get some blood, sprinkle it nearby the forest, and then get a few scales from Toothless. It would work perfectly!

So I grumbled to myself, repeating the plan over and over. I was growing even more anxious. I was worried sick. What if I screwed it up? What would happen then? Would people find out about Toothless? Or that I was trying to run away? Well, it wasn't like they would care about me running away, right?

I sucked in a breath, before letting it out shakily. I could do this. I was smart. I could do something as simple as faking my own death.

I still needed to tell Toothless about my plan. Oh, and I needed a map. I needed to make sure what islands were nearby so I could find a less-populated one. I didn't need a bunch of people questioning me.

There must have been a map in my father's room. He kept a lot of things in his room, whether it be weapons, maps, or books.

I headed back downstairs, going straight for his bedroom. Luckily he was still out doing who knows what, so I was left alone in the house. I began searching his room, looking for any signs of where a map could be.

At last, I found it. It was under his bed the whole time. I mentally cheered, racing back to my room and shutting the door. I sprawled the map across my bed, which was larger than I anticipated. Let's see… Hysteria could be a good choice. No, they had too many people there… what about… no… aha!

I smirked to myself, finally spotting a small figure which was nearby Berk. It looked to be half the size of Berk, and wasn't very far. Maybe if Toothless and I got too close to Berk we could just fly to another island?

I stuffed the map in my second backpack, then headed out the door. I hauled the two heavy bags towards the forest, struggling with the weight. Ugh, these were heavy! Hopefully Toothless was strong enough to carry these.

When I reached the cove I spotted Toothless sleeping beside the pond. I smiled softly at his cute form, chuckling to myself. "Toothless, buddy. Wake up," I spoke gently, hoping to not startle him. He was an awesome dragon.

I heard a confused chirp come from him, before he opened his eyes to see me. He lifted his head in curiosity, sniffing at the bags.

"Alright, bud. We need to get out of here. I'm tired of living in a place where no one likes me," I murmured sorrowfully. "I've already packed everything. We should leave as soon as possible, before everyone notices I stole a few supplies from them."

It was as though he understood me, because he purred and rubbed against my side. I chuckled at his adorable noise, then set the bags down beside him.

"Ok, so we'll leave tomorrow night. I have dragon training soon, so I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow, bud," I smiled. He just stared back at me, looking solemn. "I know, I know. Don't worry, I'll try to hurry it up tomorrow. Remember, I'll be bringing more fish."

I then sprinted back to the village, heading straight for the arena. I needed to make it on time, so I didn't get in even more trouble. I panted as I pelted towards the dragon training area, hoping to make it on time.

When I reached the arena, everyone was already there. I panted heavily as I stood in line with the other students. There was Fishlegs, the most knowledgeable about dragons. And then there was Ruffnut, a Viking girl and twin to Tuffnut. Speaking of Tuffnut, he's a troublemaker, just like Ruffnut. And then there was Snotlout, one of my most ignorant bullies. He's also my cousin. And lastly, Astrid. I won't lie, I have a massive crush on her. She's beautiful, strong, stubborn, and everyone loves her. She's the perfect Viking.

Whereas I'm the complete opposite.

Oh well, I won't be for long. I will no longer consider myself a Viking. Well, not that I did in the first place. I would no longer be Hiccup the useless. I would be someone totally different. I would grow and grow, maybe see a few new dragons. I was not willing to stay in this living hell. I was ready to move on.

Suddenly, Gobber's voice snapped me from my thoughts. "Alright, today is all about teamwork."

Next thing I know, I'm being paired up with Fishlegs while we try to defeat the Hideous Zippleback. I quickly got in a fighting stance, which did me no good. I wasn't strong, so what was the point in a weak stance?

Eventually one of the heads of the Hideous Zippleback found us. I tried my best to appear scared, so that I didn't raise any suspicions about knowing information on dragons. I splashed the water at the first head, which didn't even touch it. I grumbled to myself, berating myself about how weak I was.

Before I could defend myself, Astrid splashed the other head that had electricity. It killed the sparks in the dragon's mouth, which quickly resulted in the dragon being defenseless. Next, Astrid swung her battle axe at the dragon's head, which easily latched onto the Hideous Zippleback and wounded it.

"Nice job, Astrid!" Gobber praised, luring the two-headed dragon back into its cell.

I sighed, shaking my head. I could hear a few snickers come from my right. I looked over towards the source of the noise, only to find Snotlout and Tuffnut laughing at me.

I quickly left the arena without a word. I stormed back towards my house, quickly hiding myself in my room. I can't wait to leave this place.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Here's chapter three! I'll be publishing this story to Fanfiction dot net at chapter five!**

 **Chapter Name:** Actions

 **Chapter Summary:** Hiccup is ready. So he quickly fakes his death, leaving his "home" on the back of a dragon. How will the Berk inhabitants react?

 **Chapter Rating:** T, for violence and slight depression

 **Chapter Song:** Me, Myself and Time, by Demi Lovato

 **Pairing:** Eventual Hiccstrid (Hiccup x Astrid)

 **Important notes:** This is an AU where Hiccup runs away after the beginning events in the first film. Berk will still have issues with dragons, even after Hiccup has left.

 **WARNINGS:** Story includes violence and slight depression

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do NOT own How to Train Your Dragon, nor am I in any way associated with the movies.

XXX

I was ready. All I had to do was fake my death, and then I could leave this place. I couldn't wait. I was excited and scared at the same time. What if I got hurt and no one was there to help me? What if I died alone? What if I—

No! Stop thinking like that! I quickly shook my head, then turned back to the task at hand. I pulled out a sharp knife from my vest, breathing in deeply. I needed to calm down. I needed to stop worrying so much. I needed to stop being so uptight. Relax!

I turned back to the fish on the ground. I was going to need to get blood somehow, right? Why should I hurt a living being when I can easily get some from a dead fish?

So I cut through the dead fish, rewarded when blood spewed from the slice. I quickly splattered the red liquid across the lush grass, which stained the ground with crimson. I did it in random places, just hoping it would come off as realistic. Hopefully they would fall for it.

I finally stopped littering the ground with blood. I gave the fish to Toothless, who gladly ate it.

Next I added a few black scales to the scene. It looked realistic enough, right? I relaxed my tense muscles, then turned away from the bloody ground.

"Ready?" I asked.

Toothless nodded, as if understanding me. I smiled, heading back to the cove. I took one last glance at Berk, staring at my old home. I sighed, trying my hardest not to cry. It was just so tough. It was sad, how I was running away from home because I was hated.

Finally, I returned my gaze to Toothless, who looked worried. "Let's go," I piped up, a ghost of a smile appearing on my face.

I quickly loaded the two bags on the Night Fury's back, then climbed aboard myself. I double checked everything before nodding to my dragon friend. "We have everything…." I trailed off, thinking about how everyone would react. Would they care? Would they even find the blood?

I shook my head, patting Toothless on the head. "Alright, let's go."

He kicked off the ground, flapping his wings wildly. I stared back at the island, which was quickly growing smaller and smaller.

"Goodbye," I whispered.

XXX

Meanwhile, Astrid was lost in thought. She was currently sitting on a boulder, sharpening her favorite battle axe with a sharp rock. She sighed, tossing the rock away and stepping off the boulder.

She didn't know what to do. Sure, she was already top in the dragon training class, but sometimes it got tiring just being recognized all the time. Her friends were proud of her, her family was proud, and her tribe was proud. What else did she need?

The Viking girl felt like something was missing from her life, though. Like there was a deep void in her heart, and someone or something needed to fix it. What could it possibly be though? Did she need a pet? Another friend? Someone to talk with?

She shook her head, ambling back towards the village. She walked slowly, glancing back down at her axe every now and then. Astrid couldn't help but think over her life.

She had friends. Their names were Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Snotlout, and Fishlegs. They were all fun to hang out with, but were all rude at times. For example, when they made fun of that one weakling, Hiccup. He was weak, but she still didn't approve of the bullying. They put him through a lot of things, and she couldn't help but feel sorry for him. How did someone always deal with that? She couldn't imagine what it was like.

She had family. Her surname was Hofferson, and everyone knew of them in the tribe. They were known to be one of the strongest families in the village and the entire tribe. They were strong, fit, agile, and overall reliable Vikings. Astrid was determined to make her family proud. Her mother always told her that she was already proud of her daughter, but Astrid still continued to train hard. She wanted to make her even more proud of herself.

Her father was also proud of her. He rarely said it, though. He didn't want her to slack off. Astrid understood that, though. She knew her father loved her. Yet she felt slightly disappointed when he spoke and never said how proud he was of her. She always felt bad afterwards. Did her father even care? Surely he did, right? He helped her train all the time!

Astrid also had responsibilities, such as dragon training, defending her tribe, hunting every now and then, and so on. She was at the top of the list in dragon training. She was definitely well-known throughout her tribe. She was the perfect Viking girl. She was also very loyal. She always trained, not just for her own satisfaction, but for the sake of her family and friends. The young woman was strong, that's for sure.

Suddenly, Astrid was snapped from her thoughts. She frowned, getting an eerie feeling. She glanced around, wondering what it could be. She felt creeped out, too. Something felt… off. It was an odd feeling, as though her body knew that something was wrong, yet her mind wouldn't tell her what it was.

She cautiously stepped forward, slowly edging towards the outside of the forest. But suddenly, something caught her eye. Was that… red? And in the grass? Surely it was just a red leaf that fell from a tree or something, right?

She frowned, narrowing her eyes at the sight. Suddenly, she was gaping at the scene. It was blood! And… were those scales?

They weren't just any scales. They were dark, and midnight-black. She carefully picked one up, staring at it in awe. What happened here? Did one of her tribe members get attacked? Was someone hurt?

Astrid abruptly pivoted on her heel, then sprinted back towards her village. She panted, trying to reach the village as quickly as possible. She had to warn them about this! What if it was one of her friends that was hurt? Or a family member? Either way, she was concerned about it.

"Help!" she shouted once she reached the clearing in the little settlement. A group of people approached her, looking worried and curious.

"What's wrong, Astrid?" a burly man asked.

"There's blood and scales! In the forest! I think someone was attacked," she gasped out, still panting from her run. "C'mon, I'll show you guys," she added.

They all trusted the maiden. Who wouldn't? She was loyal and trustworthy. There was no way she could be lying. So the Vikings grabbed their weapons, following the girl back towards the clearing in the forest.

Stoick, the chief of the tribe, was at the head of the group, next to Astrid. He was worrying. What if the beasts were killing his tribe members? How would he be able to save them?

"It's over here!" Astrid exclaimed, leading the way to a small clearing in the forest. Everyone gasped at the sight.

There was blood staining the grass, along with several black dragon scales. It was obvious someone had been hurt by a dragon here. "Someone get the healer! We need to make sure the person that was hurt is either okay or not!" Stoick ordered. A large woman nodded, volunteering to fetch the healer. She raced off, retreating towards the settlement to gather the healer.

"Chief, I've never seen scales like these. They're black as night," Astrid murmured, handing one of the scales to the large man.

Said man examined the scale. He flipped it around in his hands, curiosity pricking at him. What kind of dragon had scales like these? And who was hurt?

"Stoick, do you think… do you think it could be a Night Fury scale?" Gobber spoke up.

Stoick stared down at the dragon scale. He watched in awe as the scale didn't even reflect sunlight. Instead, the scale was completely black, blocking out any light from reflecting off it.

"I don't know," he answered honestly. "But we need to figure out who was hurt. Has anyone noticed someone missing?"

Everyone exchanged glances, waiting for someone to pipe up.

"Hey!" Snotlout suddenly spoke. "It's kinda funny, 'cause I mean… I haven't seen the wimp, Hiccup, since yesterday!" he laughed.

Suddenly, Stoick grew rigid. Could it be? Was it possible it was Hiccup who was wounded?

"Wait, you mean you haven't seen Hiccup since yesterday?" Stoick whispered.

"Stoick… Hiccup didn't show up for dragon training today," Gobber muttered.

"No…."

The chief felt his world crumble around him. First his wife was taken from him, and now his son? Was it possible his son was dead? No, it couldn't be possible. Hiccup had an insane amount of luck, and he didn't ever go into the forest, right? But… sometimes luck runs out. And he hadn't been keeping a good eye on his son lately.

"Oh my Gods," a woman whispered in shock.

"Hiccup… he's…."

Everyone glanced at one another. Sure, they weren't fond of the useless boy, but they certainly didn't want him to die such a gruesome death. In fact, they didn't want him to be hurt at all.

"My son… oh Gods," Stoick whispered with a depressing tone. Gobber stared down at the ground, inspecting the blood and the scales. Was his apprentice actually gone? Who would take his place? Hiccup definitely wasn't strong. He was, however, intelligent. He was always conjuring up new ideas and inventions, which he made all by himself.

Ruffnut and Tuffnut looked solemn. They couldn't help but remember when they picked on Hiccup. They never thought about how it could have affected the boy. And now… now they wouldn't be able to apologize.

Fishlegs felt guilty. He missed so many chances to defend the boy from bullying, yet he didn't. He even used to be friends with him, until he drifted from him and made friends with the others.

Snotlout felt as though a ton of bricks had just crushed him. His cousin, his victim, was dead. How could he be so stupid? He shouldn't have spoken up. Now he made everyone feel bad. Plus, he was feeling bad himself. He had severely bullied Hiccup, and never knew how much it affected him. How could he be so… oblivious?

Astrid felt just as bad as the others. She felt terrible for never standing up for Hiccup, and for ignoring him. She knew Hiccup liked her, yet she continued to avoid him. She never even gave him a chance. Not to mention she spoke bad about him a couple of times.

"Chief… what do we do?" Spitelout asked softly.

"I don't know," Stoick responded genuinely. "I don't know."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Name:** Troubles

 **Chapter Summary:** Hiccup is free! He's free from all the depression, bullying, and discrimination. But what's going on at Berk?

 **Chapter Rating:** T, for violence and slight depression

 **Chapter Song:** Me, Myself and Time, by Demi Lovato

 **Pairing:** Eventual Hiccstrid (Hiccup x Astrid)

 **Important notes:** This is an AU where Hiccup runs away after the beginning events in the first film. Berk will still have issues with dragons, even after Hiccup has left.

 **WARNINGS:** Story includes violence and slight depression

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do NOT own How to Train Your Dragon, nor am I in any way associated with the movies.

XXX

I was free! I was finally free, after years and years of being locked up with people who hated me. Had they noticed my disappearance yet? Did they feel guilty? Pfft, what was I thinking? Of course they didn't care! I just needed to accept the fact that no one cared for me. Well, besides Toothless.

Speaking of Toothless, he was flying across the blue waters, quickly approaching the island that was on the map. I clung to the saddle, secure and safe. I definitely didn't want to fall into the ocean. Not only would it be freezing, but I could drown.

The island in the distance was growing closer and closer. It was gaining size, meaning we were getting near it. I lowered myself closer to Toothless, trying to keep warm. With the wind blowing and our location with the cold, it was chilly.

Eventually we landed on the abandoned island. I quickly hopped off of Toothless, dragging the bags off of him. He must have been extremely tired.

"Sorry the load was heavy, bud," I murmured to him, rubbing the top of his head. He cooed. I smiled at the noise, then turned back to our location. The waves kissed the sandy shore, while birds flew overhead. The outside beach was scattered with trees, which were thick and closely packed. It was a forest.

I quickly led the way into the forest, my bags weighing me down. Nonetheless, I continued lugging them towards the forest. I panted as my arms ached, along with my legs. This was tiring! Yet I bet any other person would have easily been able to carry these two bags into the forest. Why do I have to be so weak?

I sighed, finally reaching a clearing in the forest. Sunlight streamed down through the canopy of trees, providing light and warmth. I smiled softly at the beautiful image.

I collapsed onto the ground, quickly followed by Toothless. He rested his head on the grassy ground, making me laugh. He really was tired. The poor guy.

I must have fallen asleep, because next thing I know I'm being woken up. I groggily opened my eyes, only to be met with deep green ones. I gasped, scooting back. I heard a purr come from Toothless, who stepped back from me to give me some room. I laughed, quickly regaining my senses.

"Alright, we should probably find some water, just in case we run out," I spoke. I quickly got to my feet, ambling towards the left. I had no idea where water would be, so I just wobbled around aimlessly.

Suddenly, I halted. What was that noise? Was it water? I quickly sped-walk towards the source of the noise, relieved to find it was a creek. The water was cascading down a few boulders, and was filled with a few mosses. I frowned in thought. How was I supposed to clean the water?

Back at Berk, I used to use a filterer bowl. It worked quite well, since it took all the dirty particles in the water out. Maybe I could make my own filter?

So I grabbed one of the pitchers I had taken with me. I then grabbed another, which made two. I took my knife out, and began stabbing through one of the pitcher's bottom. It created small holes in the bottom, which would filter the water.

I smiled to myself, quickly filling up the holey pitcher with water, then hovering it over the second container. I was satisfied when the water was significantly clearer.

"Perfect," I whispered to myself, smiling.

I returned to our little clearing in the forest, carefully carrying the canteen of water. I didn't want to waste a single drop of this now-clean water. I needed to preserve it.

"Toothless!" I called, setting the pitcher on the ground. My call was answered with a coo. I looked towards the right, spotting my companion ambling over. "I got us some more water," I informed him, gesturing towards the pitcher. I scooted said container towards the dragon, motioning for him to drink it. He didn't object. The Night Fury quickly drank the water, before turning back to me.

I sighed, pulling strands of grass from the ground. I frowned in thought, thinking over everything. "Is it wrong that I miss them?" I whispered. Toothless must have sensed my sadness, because he nudged my hand. I smiled softly, petting his head.

I turned back towards the sky, staring off at the fluffy clouds. I sighed, fiddling with my thumbs. "It's a new beginning," I assured myself. "A new beginning."

XXX

On Berk, the citizens were still in shock. The news had passed quickly, alerting the whole tribe about the death of Hiccup Haddock. Everyone couldn't help but feel guilty. They had criticized that innocent boy, who never meant any harm. Now look where that got him!

Stoick was sending search parties every day. He was determined to find his son. He knew that the area where Hiccup was originally found dead meant he must have been taken by a dragon. Despite the information, he continued searching for the heir. How far could he have possibly gone? Did the dragon eat him? Did it carry him away?

Gobber missed his little helper. He never realized until then just how useful Hiccup was. He wasn't strong, that's for sure, but he was definitely intelligent. He was a genius! Gobber had sneaked a peek at some of his drawings, and was surprised to see just how much talent the young lad had. He could make a living out of being an artist!

The gang (minus Astrid) certainly felt regretful. They had hurt that young boy, who had done nothing wrong to them. Sure, Hiccup was quite clumsy and destructive, but all of those incidents were just accidents. He never meant to ruin things. The little group of Vikings felt guilty for ever hurting the Berkian.

Astrid felt the worst. Sure, she never actually directly hurt him, but she never did anything nice for him. She knew for a while now that he'd had a crush on her, yet she did nothing about it. She always avoided him, due to the fact that she didn't return the feelings. She just didn't want to deal with a heartbroken boy and let it distract her from training.

Astrid had seen Hiccup get bullied several times, too, but never actually did anything to defend him. She just always let it go on, as if it didn't matter. She knew now, though, that it certainly did. The shield maiden had just discovered how much it would mean to someone if she had stuck up for them. Too bad she didn't.

All in all, the tribe was feeling depressed. The light in their eyes had died down a little, either replaced by darkness or a burning inferno. Those who were stronger wanted to avenge Hiccup. They wanted to get back at every dragon they stumbled across for killing the tortured boy. The others, however, just lost the energy in their lives. They felt saddened by the news. They knew they could have done something to save him, perhaps by watching out for the boy. Yet they didn't.

Stoick was still on top of his chief duties. He knew he shouldn't stay depressed forever. He needed to move on. He was determined to hurt every dragon he sighted. Plus, he had a tribe to protect. He couldn't just forget about his family and friends.

So the chief held a meeting the next day. He assigned more search patrols, and announced that every dragon was to be killed on sight. He was not letting the death of his son pass by so easily. Not only did he hold the meeting for those two reasons, but for more. He held it to inform everyone about a new heir. Someone had to be chosen, so that Berk would be ruled over fairly. Stoick knew the person for the job.

Astrid.

She quickly agreed, thanking the chief continuously. Her family was ecstatic. Their daughter was to be the next leader of the tribe! Who wouldn't be proud? So they held a celebration in the mead hall. Everyone was to participate, to let loose and try to forget about the devastation. It was difficult, but eventually everyone was able to forget about Hiccup's death that one night.

Astrid was not willing to let go of Hiccup so easily. His face haunted her dreams, along with every time she closed her eyes. She was loyal, that's for sure, and was focused on trying to figure out just what happened to him. Yes, she knew he was killed by a dragon, but she wanted to know how. Who was that dragon? What was he doing in the forest? Was his death slow and painful, or quick and easy? What type of dragon murdered him?

Astrid continued her dragon training. She was chosen to kill the Monstrous Nightmare for her final exam. Everyone was proud of her. Such a young lady, growing up so quickly in a cruel world. She was to be the next chief, and was in the top of her dragon training class.

Snotlout wasn't very happy, though. He was outraged. How dare that stupid dragon murder his cousin! How dare Stoick not assign him the new heir! How dare the elder pick Astrid! Yes, he had a fondness for the blonde, but he was still furious at being showed up by a girl. He always thought he was the strongest, the bravest, the toughest. Yet Stoick and Astrid proved him wrong.

Over time, though, Snotlout got over it. He was still arrogant and confident, but had let it down a notch. He wasn't as stupid as he let on. He was strong, too. The tribe was thankful to have someone that could defend them.

Astrid proved herself more than ever. Every time the dragons raided them, she would manage to strike several. She even caught a couple for dragon training! She was growing into a woman, and everyone was proud of her. Except for herself.

She felt as though she wasn't good enough. Everyone praised her, yet she felt useless and stupid. She was so oblivious! How could she have not seen that Hiccup was suffering? How could she not protect him from that dragon!

Astrid never told anyone about these thoughts, though. She kept to herself, coming off as secretive and mysterious. She was still fiery and tough, especially when boys flirted with her. She would always break a bone or two in their bodies. She wasn't in the mood for a relationship. She never was. All she wanted was for things to go back to when everything wasn't so rough.

XXX

It's been four weeks since Hiccup Haddock's death. The tribe had held a ceremony for the deceased heir, in honor of his memory. Gobber even showed the attendants a few of Hiccup's old sketches. They were amazed at his talent, especially for such a… hiccup.

Astrid continued training. Even though she had completed her dragon training, she continued practicing. What if her tribe needed more people to fend the beasts off? She needed to be available to protect her home.

Stoick had grown more quiet and introverted. He would still attend meetings with other chiefs, would do chief duties, and would defend his tribe. Despite this, he usually followed other's ideas, instead of voicing his own. He didn't trust himself.

Snotlout trained as well, just not nearly as frequently as Astrid. He was growing into a strong man, along with the rest of the gang. The twins were still troublesome, but no longer bullied others. In fact, Ruffnut occasionally babysat. She would watch over the Viking children when their parents were busy. She got great rewards from it.

Fishlegs was growing smarter. He knew more information of dragons, which helped his tribe out during training or raids. He also helped conjure up battle tactics and new inventions for catching and harming dragons. He was respected and well-known.

Overall, the tribe was gradually moving on. They still had feelings of regret and guilt, along with a few memories of hurting Hiccup. Despite this, they continued fighting through their lives. They drowned themselves in their own work, distracting themselves from the world. But somewhere out there, somewhere far and mysterious, their heir was out there, living his life freely. And maybe, just maybe, one day they could do the same.

 **A/N: Sorry… after Hiccup said "A new beginning" I sorta just told a bunch of information on what was going on at Berk instead of actual events. So sorry, but don't worry, the next chapter will include some more entertainment and action! Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Name:** Reunited

 **Chapter Summary:** Hiccup is free! He's exploring, when suddenly, he comes across a beautiful land, one that might change his life forever.

 **Chapter Rating:** T, for violence and slight depression

 **Chapter Song:** Me, Myself and Time, by Demi Lovato

 **Pairing:** Eventual Hiccstrid (Hiccup x Astrid)

 **Important notes:** This is an AU where Hiccup runs away after the beginning events in the first film. Berk will still have issues with dragons, even after Hiccup has left.

 **WARNINGS:** Story includes violence and slight depression

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do NOT own How to Train Your Dragon, nor am I in any way associated with the movies.

XXX

It's been four weeks since I left Berk. I've been thinking over what could possibly be going on there. Did they miss me? Did they regret my "death"? No, I was getting ahead of myself. Of course they didn't care. Why else would I have ran away?

I quickly shook my head, gaining my senses back. I was currently lying down in the grass, staring up at the clear blue skies. I was trying my best to relax and to just forget about my worries. It was no use, though. My mind was just set on being concerned for Berk.

I wonder how my dad is taking the news. Did he care? Was he worried? Was he getting people to look for me? No, he should think I was dead because of the blood and scales I made. Who knows, maybe he felt guilty for neglecting me and sent out search parties? Probably not.

What about Astrid? Did she care? I wish now I had written a note for them. Then again, they probably wouldn't care. If they found it, and read it, they still wouldn't understand. No one will ever understand, no matter what you do. But now… I just wish I had told her how I felt. What if she already knew? I mean—it wasn't really a secret that I love her. Yes, love. I was in love with Astrid Hofferson.

I can't help but recall the times in the arena. I hadn't even gotten to prove myself. I could have used my knowledge to get around the dragons, yet I didn't. Instead I just… left. I remember how she shouted at me about the war with dragons becoming ours. What about when Gobber had to save me from the Gronckle. Did everyone regret him rescuing me?

Then there was when I failed to stop the Zippleback. I had attempted to splash water on the electric head, but it didn't even reach it. I had failed at throwing water at a dragon. Only I could pull off something so stupid.

I hate dragon training. Everything they know about dragons is wrong! We were killing and hurting innocent dragons! Imagine all those innocent lives lost! It wasn't like they had a choice to raid Berk or not. I've been to the dragon nest, the thing Vikings have been searching for over three-hundred years. I had discovered that there is a queen, the leader of the dragons in that nest. She controls them, and they're supposed to bring her food. It's like a beehive.

I was suddenly snapped from my thoughts by a purr. I blinked, sitting up. None other than Toothless was standing beside me.

"Hey, Toothless," I smiled. "Find any food?"

The Night Fury pushed a fish lying on the ground towards me. I stared down at the prey, smiling at my companion. "Great job, bud. You can have this, I'm gonna eat some of the leftover food in our bags."

He crooned, as if protesting. He wanted me to eat with him. I held my ground, though. Toothless needed the food more than I did. He was the one doing all the work! So I scooted the fish back towards him, and he reluctantly dug into it.

Meanwhile, I pulled out some bread. I hungrily bit into it, my instincts taking over. I've been having to conserve my leftover food, just to make sure I could survive off of it until I learned to fish. It's moments like these I wish Gobber had taught me about berries, which ones were poisonous and which ones were edible.

A pang of sympathy struck me. Gobber, my non-biological dad. I considered him my dad sometimes, since he definitely hung out with me more. He taught me what to do in the forge, and encouraged my invention ideas. He was always there for me.

I quickly pushed the thought aside, not in the mood to deal with painful memories. It was just so unfair. Unfair because I never got to prove myself, to have friends, to call Berk my home. I was sick and tired of being mistreated. I was determined to prove myself.

I sighed, finally vanishing from my stupor. I glanced down, realizing I had eaten half of the loaf of bread. "Dang it," I growled, realizing my mistake. I needed to preserve the food! Because of my stupidity, I could be risking my life!

Toothless nudged my side, cooing at me. I chuckled, instantly feeling better. "Thanks," I murmured. I scratched his head and neck, making him collapse onto the ground and roll over. I laughed, admiring his cuteness.

I closed my bag, throwing it over my shoulder and carrying the other by my side. I had started noticing it was getting easier to lift these. At first it was a difficult challenge. Now, however, it was much easier. I must be getting stronger. Yes! About time!

I led the way back towards Toothless and I's temporary home. We had flown to a different island since four weeks ago. It had many mysteries on it, though. I've seen a couple strange bugs, along with a couple Deadly Nadders. They must have lived here, due to the several bodies of water and lots of food options. There were fish, rabbits, deer, sheep, and so on.

Our little hideout was a cave. It wasn't the best, but it was the greatest we could find. It was little, but warm and cozy. There were three sides surrounding the cave, and the one missing was the entrance. It was more like a ginormous indention in the rock wall. The cave went into the rock wall for about fifteen feet, then halts at the back of the cave, which is solid rock.

It was a little snug for Toothless, but it was definitely better than living out in the cold, windy weather and appearing vulnerable to predators. So we made it work. Due to his large wingspan and size, we would have to squeeze closer together. I was fine with that. I knew he wouldn't hurt me. Plus, he radiates heat.

So when we reached the cave, I sighed and sat against the back wall. Toothless sat a couple feet in front of me, blocking out the bright sun.

"Now what, bud?" I whispered. "We don't have a home. We have nowhere to go." I exhaled sharply. "Well, at least we're free, right?" The Night Fury purred, lying down on the cool rock ground.

Suddenly, I heard a loud screech. I frowned, my brows furrowing together. What could that possibly be?

I headed outside, Toothless following behind me. "What the…." I trailed off, staring up at the sky.

There, far in the distance and hovering above the ocean, was a four-winged dragon. He appeared intimidating and scary, with his large size and four wings. He was a beautiful blend of colors, and from where I was standing, I could spot a figure on his shoulders. Was it another dragon rider?

The dragon abruptly propelled itself towards our island, heading straight towards Toothless and me. I quickly grabbed my dagger from the inside of my vest, holding it close to my body to defend myself if necessary.

I thrust the dagger forward, but it didn't come in contact with anything but air. I opened my eyes, realizing the dragon had stopped just a few yards from me. I held the blade tightly, staring in awe at the figure on the dragon's shoulders. Said silhouette slunk off the dragon's back, gracefully crawling forward. I watched every movement they made, from a simple step forward to a flick of their head.

"W-Who are you?" I asked shakily, knife still held in front of me.

The rider didn't answer. Instead, they approached Toothless. I quickly stepped forward, prepared to defend my friend. Toothless quickly bared his teeth, a growl rumbling in his throat. Before he could snap at the mysterious person, the figure made a strange movement with their hand, causing the Night Fury to roll onto his back with his hind legs in the air lazily.

I was shocked. Toothless was quite protective of me, and to see some random person be able to do that was astounding. Just who was this guy?

The person then ambled towards me, hand outstretched. I awkwardly muttered, "Uh…." I leaned back a little, chin rising slowly. The darkly-dressed person gasped.

"H-Hiccup?" the voice whispered in shock.

I frowned, unable to comprehend how this person knew my name. "How do you know my name? Should I know you?"

The person grabbed ahold of their strange mask, slowly slipping it off. It revealed a beautiful woman, with soft brown hair and bright, hopeful eyes. Hey, she looked kind of like—

"No, you were only a babe," she sighed. "But a mother never forgets."

My whole world came crashing down. Mother? There was no way... My mother was dead! Carried off by a dragon! There was no possible way this could be my mom. My mysterious, unknown mom.

Suddenly, this woman perked up. "Come!" she ordered, inching back towards her dragon. She climbed onto him, all while shouting to me, "Come, Hiccup!"

I frowned, reluctantly climbing onto Toothless and following after her.

"You can't just say things like that!" I hollered over the wind. "You're my mother?! Where've you been all these years?" I continued bombarding her with questions, but she remained silent the whole ride.

I frowned, getting Toothless to pick up his pace. I gripped the saddle tighter, catching up to the woman.

Suddenly, in the distance, I spotted a strange island. I narrowed my eyes, examining the far piece of land. It was made of… ice! It was like a little home for whatever lied inside.

"What… where are we?" I called.

Again, no answer. I nearly groaned in frustration. How could this be my mother? This had to be some sort of trap. My mom, who was taken by a dragon about thirteen years ago, just reunited with me. Surely I was being fooled, right? Maybe she was leading me to my death?

Her four-winged dragon led the way to an entrance of the ice cavern. I slipped off of Toothless once we reached a path. The woman did the same. We walked along the path, which led to the inside of the amazing ice structure.

Dragons. There were hundreds of them! They were all different shapes, sizes, and colors. They all blended together, flying in circles around the ice building. I stared with my mouth open in shock. Why were all these dragons here? Did this woman help them?

"Hiccup… I know you don't believe me," she murmured. I glanced over at her, staring directly into her eyes. "But I'm still going to tell you: I'm your mother."

I held her strong gaze, a million thoughts racing through my head. I couldn't detect any signs of a lie in her features. Her face remained grim and serious, her mouth in a firm line. Her eyes were a blazing fire, trained on me intently.

"I know," I finally said. "You're my mother…."

I trailed off awkwardly, stepping forward. I felt tears prick at my eyes, which caught her attention. She pulled me into an embrace, hugging me tightly.

"Shhh," she whispered soothingly. "I'm here now. I can teach you so many things, Hiccup. We can help each other," she smiled. Suddenly, her smile vanished. "What were you doing on that island, though? Why aren't you on Berk?"

I ran a hand through my auburn hair, a habit I had formed a couple years ago. I did it when I was feeling stressed or uncomfortable.

"Well… I sort of ran away," I muttered quietly. She heard it anyway.

"What?! Why? Is it because of your dragon?" she asked concernedly. I simply nodded. "Don't worry, honey. I'm here now. I'll make sure to make up for all those years I missed out on," she smiled softly. I returned the grin, glancing over to Toothless.

"This is Toothless, by the way," I introduced. She smiled broader.

"Nice to meet you, Toothless. I'm Valka, Hiccup's mother. This is Cloudjumper," she gestured to her four-winged dragon. I chuckled softly at her kindness. Suddenly, she laughed too. "Nice one," she giggled.

"Uh… what are you talking about?" I asked uncertainly.

She turned to me, grinning broadly. "I can understand dragons. It's a skill I've learned over many, many years. I could teach you!" I gaped at her.

"You can understand dragons?!" I exclaimed. She nodded. "That's… wait, can they understand Norse?"

"Yes."

"Wow." I stared off into space, lost in thought. "That explains a lot." She laughed, stroking Toothless' head.

"Well, don't worry. With me teaching you you'll learn quickly," she assured.

I turned to her, a wide grin plastered on my face. "I know."


	6. Chapter 6

**Alright, I added another important note, which is… Dragonese! To tell if they are speaking Norse or Dragonese, here's the explanation.** " _~this is dragonese and will be italics~_ " and "this is normal norse"

 **Chapter Name:** Years Later

 **Chapter Summary:** It's been three years since Hiccup was on Berk. How is life going for him and his mother? What's going on in the Berkians' lives?

 **Chapter Rating:** T, for violence and slight depression

 **Chapter Song:** Me, Myself and Time, by Demi Lovato

 **Pairing:** Eventual Hiccstrid (Hiccup x Astrid)

 **Important notes:** This is an AU where Hiccup runs away after the beginning events in the first film. Berk will still have issues with dragons, even after Hiccup has left. Dragonese is spoken like this: " _~italics and with symbols~_ " Regular Norse is "Just simple quotation marks"

 **WARNINGS:** Story includes violence and slight depression

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do NOT own How to Train Your Dragon, nor am I in any way associated with the movies.

XXX

It's officially been three years since I left Berk. I count the days. Today was the annual leaving date, meaning I had left on this exact day three years ago. I couldn't help but wonder how Dad and the other Vikings were doing. Had they moved on? Of course they probably did. I wasn't that important anyways.

Mom has taught me a bunch of things. She showed me how to tell information about a dragon, such as age and species. She also explained a whole lot more, including Dragonese. Yes, I could now understand and talk with dragons.

Dragons have a way of understanding Norse. They obviously can't understand the majority of it, just bits and pieces. They can, however, speak Dragonese, the traditional language for dragons. Mom had given me tips and information on how to create the perfect chirping noises to tell a dragon what I wanted. I could now make dragon noises, which allowed me to communicate with them.

I'm glad I wasn't alone all this time. I couldn't imagine how I would feel if Mom hadn't found me. She's an amazing mother. She always makes great meals for me, and cares for me when I'm hurt. She cared for me more than the old tribe members did.

I've changed, too. I'm taller and slightly muscular. I've gained thickness in my arms and legs, as well as my torso. I've grown fit and strong, to my relief. I now wear a different outfit, though. I dress myself in darkly-colored armor. There's thick shoulder pads, which provide protection. I had made the costume myself, with a few tips and tweaks from Mom. There were a couple of pockets where I stashed my knife in. Not only did I have a suit, but a mask. I was more like a helmet, so that no one could see my hair or face. My hair was longer and untamed, poking in different directions. Mom said the style looked good on me, though. My eyes were still dark emerald-green, and were more detailed than before. Overall, I had changed.

There's been rumors, and I think they're about me. Mom heard it from another island, since we rescue the dragons. You see, when we find another island with captured dragons, we try our best to free them all. We've heard rumors from some of the guards, since they know about us freeing the dragons.

The rumors tell about a tall, dark figure. He rides on the back of a Night Fury, which has never been seen by any other Vikings. They talk about how he goes around, freeing caged dragons. People say he carries a strong sword with him, which can shatter any other metal weapon. No one knows what he looks like, who he is, and why he defends the dragons.

I'm positive the rumors are about me. I mean—I fit all the details. I ride a Night Fury, have a dark suit and helmet, free dragons, and so on. Mom and I were shocked at the information. We hadn't expected for me to be known among the Viking tribes. It made it more difficult to release the dragons, with guards constantly fending us off. Nonetheless, we continue to free the reptiles.

I was currently laying back on Toothless' back, staring up at the blue sky and fluffy clouds. We were gliding among the breeze, the mood peaceful and serene. I couldn't help but smile at the calming aura.

I slowly sat up, patting Toothless on his head. He purred at my touch, making me smile. I still couldn't get over how much he cared for me. It was a nice change. The majority of my life has been spent being uncared for and neglected. Now, however, I changed all that.

" _~Alright, bud. Let's head back home~_ ," I called over the wind flowing past our ears. He crooned, propelling himself forward and back towards the sanctuary. After three years, the ice cavern looked amazing. It was magnificent. There were more rescued dragons, and they were ruled over by the Bewilderbeast. The light was easy to filter in the large home, allowing easy sight.

We soared across the sky, faster than any other dragon in existence. After all, the Night Fury was the swiftest of them all. I couldn't help but reach my hands out to the sides, feeling the wisps of clouds flowing past my fingers. I laughed wholeheartedly, shutting my eyes and enjoying the experience.

When we reached the sanctuary, we immediately searched for Mom. I slipped off of Toothless' shoulders, strolling down the path that led to the main ice cave. It was where all the dragons got to fly around. The Bewilderbeast just lay calmly in the corner, watching with respect in his icy-blue eyes.

"Mom!" I called.

" _~Maybe she's at the feeding room?~_ " Toothless suggested.

Yes, Toothless just spoke. Like I said before, I learned Dragonese. Mom was a great teacher. By "feeding room" Toothless meant the kitchen.

" _~Oh, right.~_ "

I led the way towards the kitchen, Toothless padding behind me. "Mom!" I tried again.

Suddenly, I heard a response. "Hiccup! Over here!"

I quickly jogged over towards the familiar voice. Toothless was right, she was in the kitchen. I entered the cave "room" with a smile on my face.

"Hey. We just came to tell you we're back from our morning flight," I spoke in regular Norse. She nodded, chopping up a plump fish.

"Alright. How was it? And how do you want your fish done? Hot, warm…?" she responded.

I glanced over at the fish, narrowing my eyes. "Hmm… warm please. And yes, it was good."

She nodded once more, waving to Toothless and letting out a high-pitched chirp. It meant she said, " _~Can you heat the fish?~_ "

Toothless stepped forward, slowly igniting the back of his throat and hovering over the chopped up fish. He didn't actually release a plasma blast, just lit up his mouth to radiate heat to the fish.

After a couple minutes, he was done. Mom tested the fish, prodding it with a finger. "This good?" she asked. I poked the pieces of fish, satisfied with the temperature. I nodded.

"Oh, and Mom?" I asked.

"Yes?" I hesitated. Should I ask this? What if she didn't like the subject? Would it be too much? "Yes?" she repeated worriedly.

"Um…." I trailed off, lost in thought. Finally, I spoke, "Do you think… do you think Berk is doing okay?"

She went rigid, pausing in between the table and the rock counter. I knew I shouldn't have asked it, but I was just too curious. Maybe she had heard some rumors about Berk?

"Hiccup…."

"Sorry, Mom. It's just… I worry about them sometimes," I sighed, running a hand through my thick, auburn hair.

She sighed, setting the plate on the table. "Well, from what I've heard, they've been doing fine. They still have dragon raids, though."

I frowned, taking a seat at the table. "Really? I thought they would've fixed that…." I stared down at my plate, slowly devouring my meal.

She shook her head. "No. Seems like they're still not accepting of dragons," she sighed sadly. "Tell me again, why do they think you're dead?"

I stuck another piece of fish in my mouth, hurriedly chewing it before replying. "Well, I took some of Toothless' scales and put them on the ground, next to some fish blood."

To my surprise, she laughed. A real, genuine laugh. I loved her laugh. It was warm and full of life.

"They fell for that? Wow. You're good, son," she giggled. I soon joined in on her chuckle, continuing to eat my fish. I even gave Toothless a couple pieces.

"Mom?" I asked again. She hummed in response. "Do you think we might see Dad someday?"

Her body grew stiff, muscles tensing up. "Maybe," she finally answered. "But if we do, what do we say? That we're crazy dragon-saving vigilantes?"

I exhaled slowly, realizing she was right. Dad wouldn't understand. He was too obsessed over his hatred for dragons to accept them. After all, he did think they killed his family. But… what would he say if he knew we were alive? What would he do if he found out we were the dragon riders everyone was talking about?

"Don't worry, Hiccup," she murmured soothingly. "Maybe if we see him again, we can reunite with them. But didn't you run away to get away from them?"

I gazed down at my empty plate, face blank. "Yeah… I just… I don't know. I still miss them." She nodded in understanding, finishing up her meal. She took the empty plates, set them on the counter, then turned back to me.

"Hiccup, you know I love you, right?" she asked seriously. I frowned, quickly nodding.

"Yes," I smiled. "I do."

She returned the smile, hugging me tightly. "Good. I just want you to know there are people here who care for you." I smiled, quickly thanking her.

After we had finished our lunch, we headed towards the main cave, which was where the majority of the dragons were, along with the Bewilderbeast. Our two dragons followed behind us, causing Toothless to annoy Cloudjumper. Toothless was known to be overly-playful. Cloudjumper was more of a serious dragon, but nonetheless let Toothless bother him.

When we reached the main sanctuary, I sat in the grass, which overlooked the cavern. It was like a ledge. Mom took a seat beside me, while Toothless ran off to go meet one of his dragon friends.

A week after we were found by Mom, he made quite a lot of friends. He was pretty popular among the other dragons, being a Night Fury and all. Plus, the other dragons were playful like him. They got along pretty well. Toothless' main friend, though, would have to be Sunfever. She was an orange-yellow Deadly Nadder. She was about our age, too.

I chuckled as I saw Toothless startle Sunfever. Said Nadder whipped around, playfully tackling Toothless. I heard Mom join in on the laughter, while the two dragons played a game of tag. I could hear their conversation.

" _~TAG!~_ " Sunfever chirped, gliding away.

" _~You're on!~_ " Toothless growled teasingly, chasing after her.

I continued staring at them, wondering what it was like to have friends. Yes, I had friends, but I wondered what it would be like to have human friends. I've never really had a true friend on Berk. There was Fishlegs, but he spontaneously stopped talking to me.

I quickly pushed the memories aside, not wanting to deal with flashbacks. I didn't feel in the mood to deal with painful thoughts. So instead I whistled for Toothless to come over.

" _~Be right back!~_ " Toothless called to Sunfever. He raced over to me, tilting his head to the side. " _~What is it?~_ "

" _~I was just gonna take your saddle off~_ ," I responded. He instantly nodded. Sure, he was used to the gear on him, but I could just imagine how uncomfortable and hot it got under all that leather. So I quickly slid the saddle and gear off, but left on his prosthetic, just in case.

" _~Alright, now go have fun~_ ," I smiled. He chuckled, sprinting back over to Sunfever.

I sighed, staring off into the distance. I couldn't help but wonder how the citizens of Berk were doing. Did they miss me? Did they believe I was dead? How was Dad? What about Astrid? I didn't have any answers to those questions, though I wish I did.

"INCOMING!" I heard someone scream. I instantly shot up, not recognizing the human voice.

And suddenly, I was thrown backwards, by a blur of brown and blue.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: So I lied. I'm not going to publish this story until I reach the tenth chapter. Why? Because I want the readers to have enough time to read this story before I update again. Anyways, enjoy!**

 **Chapter Name:** The New Dragon Riders

 **Chapter Summary:** After crash landing on the island, three strangers encounter Hiccup and Valka. Who are they? And why are they riding dragons?

 **Chapter Rating:** T, for violence and slight depression

 **Chapter Song:** Me, Myself and Time, by Demi Lovato

 **Pairing:** Eventual Hiccstrid (Hiccup x Astrid)

 **Important notes:** This is an AU where Hiccup runs away after the beginning events in the first film. Berk will still have issues with dragons, even after Hiccup has left. Dragonese is spoken like this: "~italics and with symbols~" Regular Norse is "Just simple quotation marks"

 **WARNINGS:** Story includes violence and slight depression

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do NOT own How to Train Your Dragon, nor am I in any way associated with the movies.

XXX

Suddenly, a brown and blue blur knocked me over. I groaned, being thrown back onto the grassy floor. I slowly peeled my eyes open, surprised to be met with icy-blue ones. But not just any type of eyes—a human pair of eyes.

"Woah!" I gulped, quickly getting up. The mysterious person did the same, swiftly getting to her feet.

It was a girl. She had long brown hair, with a couple of blond highlights. Her skin was slightly tan, and she wore a strange outfit. She was clad in a blue T-shirt, with spiked shoulder pads. Next was her skinny brown jeans, which fitted her fine. She was also wearing black boots, which had fur surrounding the top.

"Who're you?" I asked, panicky. What if they were intruders? What if they attacked us? We would no longer be safe! But surely the Bewilderbeast could handle them, right?

The girl blinked. "Uh… that depends. Who are you?"

"Minx! Where are you?!" another voice called. I gulped, realizing there were more.

Minx? What a strange name.

"Ah, there you are—who's this?" a guy asked. He had dark black hair, which was styled like my old haircut. He had a fringe nearly concealing his right eye, which was brown by the way. He was wearing a necklace that was shaped into a moon, which hung loosely around his neck. The rest of his outfit consisted of padded brown jeans, a red T-shirt with a leather jacket and brown combat boots.

"I don't know…. Who are you?" Minx asked. I gulped, quickly reaching into my suit and grabbing my dagger.

"I asked you first," I snapped.

The two strangers exchanged glances, blinking at me. "Do you live here?" the man asked. "We don't mean any harm—we were just flying and we saw this place."

Flying? Did they mean riding dragons? "Hiccup!" someone called. It was Mom.

She raced over, glaring at the intruders. "Who are these people?" she demanded. She was pretty protective sometimes.

"We're Minx and Ryker. We don't want any trouble. We just came here on our dragons. We saw the island and a couple of dragons and thought we would land here," the man, Ryker, spoke.

Mom narrowed her eyes. "Are there more of you?"

Ryker nodded. "One more. Audun!" And then there was the sound of running footsteps.

Yet another man appeared. He was built strongly, with muscle on his whole body. He wasn't large, nor bulky, but still bigger than me. He was wearing a scarf, black shoulder pads, a long-sleeved green shirt, baggy black jeans, and scuffed up brown combat boots, which matched Ryker's.

"Who're they?" he asked.

"They live here," Minx explained simply.

"Oh… well, don't worry, we didn't come here to hurt you guys," Audun piped up. "Would you like to see our dragons? They're really tired, and they need somewhere to stay."

I glanced over at Mom, who looked thoughtful. Maybe she would let them stay the night? There was nothing wrong with that, right? I mean—the Bewilderbeast could protect us and easily scare them off. It was just a few young adults, right? They didn't seem like much of a threat.

"Fine. Show us your dragons, then," Mom finally decided. They all smiled, quickly strolling towards the outer island. I followed after them curiously, wondering what types of dragons they had.

When we reached just outside of the ice cavern, there were three dragons looking droopy-eyed and stiff. I frowned, instantly realizing they must have been exhausted.

The first was a Monstrous Nightmare. Surprisingly, it wasn't bright red, like most of that particular breed. Instead, it was dark, dark auburn, with midnight-black spots and stripes in several places. Audun spoke, "This is my dragon, a Monstrous Nightmare named Portal. She's pretty nice, unless you mess with her." He smiled warmly, then gestured to the other two dragons.

The next dragon was a… Desert Wraith? He was light lavender, a soft pink-purple shade. The stripes on him, though, were nearly black. He had icy-blue eyes, which seemed to stare directly into mine.

"Wow, where did you find him?" Mom asked. Desert Wraiths weren't very popular here, and they usually stayed away from humans.

"He was with Portal when we found them," Ryker piped up. "His name is Alter. He's usually cold to everyone. Sometimes it's hard to gain his trust. Me, though… we're close," Ryker stated proudly. He stepped towards said dragon, scratching under his chin. Alter quickly lifted his head higher, as if agreeing with him.

We finally moved onto the last dragon, which was a… Stormcutter?! He was lavender, with flecks of green, pink, and purple. He was smaller than Cloudjumper, but still larger than the other dragons.

"Woah, another Stormcutter!" I exclaimed.

"Yeah, his name's Zander," Minx spoke up. She rubbed the dragon's shoulder, patting him softly. "He's pretty cool. He's calm and good with others."

I glanced over at Mom who looked thoughtful. Was she considering letting them stay? I couldn't help but wonder how much these people knew about dragons.

"Miss, do you think we could stay over a day or two?" Audun asked politely. "I mean—our dragons are weak and exhausted, and we haven't found anywhere to stay yet."

Mom sighed, her gaze washing over the three dragons. "Fine, you can stay. But… only if you help us with chores," she eventually stated.

The three young adults quickly hugged one another, cheering. "Deal!" Ryker exclaimed.

Mom and I led the way back into the sanctuary, their dragons also coming with us. The teens hungrily took in the sight of the ice cave, probably in awe. I was just the same way when I first came here. It was quite an amazing sight.

"So, what kind of dragons do you two ride?" Minx asked conversationally.

I glanced over at Mom, who nodded to give the okay. "Mom rides a Stormcutter named Cloudjumper. I ride Toothless, a Night Fury," I informed them.

Suddenly, they halted. "You ride a Night Fury?!" Ryker gasped. The three of them had their mouths hanging open, eyes wide and curious. I just nodded, smirking at their shock. "Dude, are you… are you two the… the Bonded?" he whispered.

I glanced over at Mom with a confused expression. "The Bonded? What's that mean?" I asked, continuing to stroll towards the main cave.

"It's a rumor about these two dragon riders, who are called the Bonded because they can talk to their dragons and are very close with them," Audun explained. "They also free trapped dragons."

I looked back at them, crossing my arms. "Well, I guess that's us then," I smiled, chuckling at their strange expressions. "Anyways, welcome to… uh, well, this place doesn't really have a name. I guess it's the home of the great Bewilderbeast."

They took in the scene in front of them, staring around in all directions. "Wow."

I chuckled. "Yeah… look, there's the Bewilderbeast. He's the king of all dragons," I smiled. They gasped.

"Ok, wait… so you guys are not only the Bonded, but live with the KING of ALL dragons?!" Ryker spoke with a stunned expression.

"That's us," Mom joked. I chuckled at her, then turned to see Toothless waddling over.

"Hey, bud," I smiled. The three newcomers gasped at the sight of the midnight-black dragon, easily realizing it was the magnificent Night Fury. "I would like to introduce you guys to Toothless! Oh, and that's Cloudjumper," I added, gesturing to said Stormcutter who crawled over to Mom.

" _~Who're they?~_ " Toothless asked.

I smiled. " _~I'm not sure. They're dragon riders, though. Seem nice enough. Plus, they know about us~_ ," I responded in Dragonese.

" _~How? Are they the rumors again?~_ " he chirped curiously.

" _~Yup.~_ "

"Dude! Is he talking to that dragon?!" Audun stared at us. I blinked, realizing they must not have known about Dragonese.

"Oh, uh, yeah," I said lamely. "Dragons have this language, we call it Dragonese. Um… if my Mom's okay with it, I'm willing to teach you guys to understand your dragons," I smiled.

The group exchanged astonished looks, before nodding rapidly. "That'd be awesome," Minx said calmly. So far she was the calmest one of the bunch.

I turned back to Mom, who looked proud. "You can teach them," she smiled. I quickly thanked her, then pivoted back to see the three.

"So, how much do you guys know about flying?"

XXX

Meanwhile, a lot had happened on Berk. Rumor had reached the Viking village about two lone dragon riders, who knew of Dragonese and rescued captured dragons. Stoick was furious. How dare those vigilantes ride those beasts! They were the ones that took his family from him.

Astrid was curious. She always had an interest in rumors, but never actually showed it. She didn't want to be known as the gossiper of the tribe. Nonetheless, she would ask Ruffnut about the rumors every once in a while. She still wanted to know what was going on.

Later that year, more rumors came. They spoke of five dragon riders! Instead of just the two, there were now three added. They still spoke Dragonese, rescued dragons, and sometimes helped the occasional human. There was a time when Ruffnut told Astrid about how a little boy was drowning, and a Desert Wraith dragon came to the rescue.

The other tribes were enraged. Their dragons were being stolen! And by dragon-lovers no less! They needed those dragons! For training, for threatening other dragons, for lots of things!

So the tribe leaders held a meeting. They were determined to stop the Bonded. The Bonded is what the group of dragon riders were called. Stoick was relieved to see others were just as angry as he was. He didn't want to be the only one fighting off the beasts and their riders.

When they held the meeting, it was on a little island nearby Berk. Stoick ordered his heir, Astrid, and his best friend, Gobber, to travel with him to meet with the other tribe chiefs. They set sail as soon as possible, all three hoping to avenge Hiccup.

Soon, when they reached the meet-up, they all agreed to ally together to bring the Bonded down. The other islands had heard of Hiccup's death, and knew the Berkians were angry at the dragons. They also had lost tribe members from dragons, and all wanted to get revenge.

Stoick suggested finding the Nest, where the nearby dragons were located. Many agreed, until Astrid spoke up. They had a deep conversation of it.

"Eh-hem," Astrid had cleared her throat, gaining their attention. "I say we lure the Bonded, so that we can follow them back to their hideout. It would easily allow us to defeat them and gain the element of surprise. We would easily have control."

The other Vikings had hesitated, thinking over the plan. It didn't take very long for all of them to agree.

And that's what they decided to do. They were to take a Terrible Terror, use the tiny dragon to track down the Bonded, and take them down. They were not letting this go.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Name:** The Lure

 **Chapter Summary:** The Vikings begin plotting against the Bonded, hoping to lure the five dragon riders to Berk. They could only hope they would be able to track them down.

 **Chapter Rating:** T, for violence and slight depression

 **Chapter Song:** Me, Myself and Time, by Demi Lovato

 **Pairing:** Eventual Hiccstrid (Hiccup x Astrid)

 **Important notes:** This is an AU where Hiccup runs away after the beginning events in the first film. Berk will still have issues with dragons, even after Hiccup has left. Dragonese is spoken like this: "~italics and with symbols~" Regular Norse is "Just simple quotation marks"

 **WARNINGS:** Story includes violence and slight depression

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do NOT own How to Train Your Dragon, nor am I in any way associated with the movies.

XXX

"COME ON!" Ryker shouted in frustration. "Which one of you did this?!"

I just continued soaring forward, urging Toothless to fly faster. I could vaguely hear Minx and Zander flying after us, trying to keep up. I heard a laugh come from my left, which belonged to Audun and his dragon, Portal. We were flying quickly from Ryker and Alter, who were furious.

Why? Well, because Minx, Audun and I accidentally stained Ryker's saddle and Alter's flank with flower dye. We honestly didn't mean to do it—or, well, I didn't mean to do it, anyway. We had just been tinkering with some ingredients, and spilled some on Alter and his saddle when we were preparing for our morning flight.

"C'mon, he's gaining on us!" Minx shouted. I couldn't resist laughing. I tightened my grip on Toothless, edging him to pick up the pace. We were still flying pretty quickly, but I wasn't willing to face Ryker and Alter's anger.

It's been approximately five months since the six strangers became my best friends. Mom was reluctant to let them stay, until they started helping us rescue dragons. After that, she allowed them to reside with us. The rumors have grown, flourishing into stories about Mom and I befriending three other dragon riders and their rides. I was surprised at how accurate the descriptions were, too. We had to be more careful when covering our tracks.

I loosened my grip on Toothless, realizing my knuckles were starting to ache. I spared a glance behind me, easily spotting Minx and Audun, who were soaring across the sky with their dragons. In the distance I could see Ryker and Alter, who were easily gaining on Minx and her Stormcutter, Zander.

I adjusted my stirrup on Toothless, speaking in Dragonese. _"~We need to help Minx and Zander!~"_

I heard a rumble of laughter come from the Night Fury. _"~You guys are really serious about this~,"_ he laughed. I chuckled, but then whipped him around.

The midnight-black dragon turned sharply, turning to face Minx and Zander. They were steadily gaining speed, but I could tell Ryker and Alter would eventually catch up to them. I patted Toothless on his head, and suddenly I felt a vibration come from him. It usually meant he was about to shoot a plasma blast.

So he did. He aimed it directly at Ryker and Alter, which caught on Alter's hind leg. I could tell Toothless didn't mean to hurt them. In fact, his attack was just a very small sphere of light. It was only meant to slow down the two.

"Hey!" I heard Ryker protest. I chuckled, turning Toothless back around to face forward. And with that, we continued to race away from our two opponents.

I helped Toothless slow down his speed a little, so that Audun and Minx could catch up to us.

"Thanks. I owe you guys!" Minx laughed. I chuckled with her, then we continued to fly across the clear blue sky.

Suddenly, I heard a wail. I frowned, glancing around wildly. Where did it come from? Who was it? I looked over at Minx and Audun, who looked confused. They must have heard it too.

"Uh… what was that?" I called over the whistling wind.

They exchanged glances, looking worried. "It sounds like… like a dragon. Maybe there's one on that island?" Minx suggested, pointing to a piece of land in the far distance. I nodded.

"Alright, let's head over there. I'll tell Ryker about it," I shouted over the noise. They both nodded, then flew faster to get closer to the mysterious island.

Toothless must have understood my words, because he slowed down his pace significantly. Ryker and Alter easily caught up to us, looking furious. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, I interrupted him.

"We heard a dragon from that island. I know—we've gotta check it out," I butted in. Ryker glanced ahead, easily recognizing the island.

"Uh… you do realize that's Berk, right?"

"Wait… what?"

I turned back to the island, letting his words sink in. Oh my gods. It was Berk! How had I not recognized it?!

"Are you sure you wanna land there, Hiccup? I can tell Audun and Minx that you don't want to go back there," he responded.

I frowned, narrowing my eyes at the strip of land. I finally shook my head. "No, it'll be fine. Besides, we'll just be there for a few minutes."

He nodded, then urged Alter to go faster. Well, here goes nothing.

XXX

A Deadly Nadder's screams broke through the silence of the eerie forest. The Vikings that hid in the bushes covered their ears, hating the sound. It was a terrible noise. Yes, they were dragon killers, but they still hated hearing an animal in such pain.

The Vikings were crouching in the bushes, covered in green furs to appear discreet. They didn't want the Bonded to notice them, of course. Their plan was simple: they would lure the Bonded towards the injured Nadder, and then leap out from the bushes to ambush them.

The Vikings were anxious, to say in the least. They had heard the stories of the Bonded, of course. They just never actually witnessed the Bonded rescuing dragons, minus a few exceptions. A few of the men gathered in the forest had seen the dragons and their riders freeing dragons, and were stunned at their stealth and abilities. It was as if they were talking to their dragons!

Suddenly, a man whispered to the surrounding humans. "Shhh!" he ordered. "I can hear something."

The group of Vikings instantly went silent, their ears straining to hear signs of life. And there it was.

Wingbeats, and a lot of them. They were strong and fluent, as if matching their breathing. They were surprisingly quiet, compared to other flying dragons. Could this be it? Could this be the Bonded?

And suddenly, there was a voice. "Remember guys, if anything happens, do NOT call me by my name. Call me by my nickname," came a deep voice. The lethal men in the forest exchanged glances, looking confused and curious. Who was this person? Could it be…?

The wingbeats abruptly stopped. The dragons must have landed somewhere. The ambushers peeked through the leaves of plants, watching in awe as a black figure appeared from the opposite side of the clearing.

"Oh my gods! It must have been Vikings," came a feminine voice. "We've gotta hurry, just in case the Vikings come looking for their… kill." The woman spat the last word out venomously, as if despising the Vikings.

Stoick, the leader of the troops surrounding the area, clutched the hammer in his hand, staring intently through the bush he was poised behind. Who were these guys? And was that a woman? It must have been.

Suddenly, the Vikings were able to make out a woman's silhouette. She was wearing a gray hood, which concealed her face. She was dressed with combat boots, tight jeans, and spiked shoulder pads.

The next figure was a man. He definitely wasn't big. He was tall, but still only about a head taller than the woman. He wore a red hood, and was wearing combat boots similar to the female. He had thicker shoulder pads, spiked as well. He was clad in baggy blue jeans, along with an armored torso.

Another figure. He was wearing the same type of hood as the other two, but this one was blue. It covered his face just like the others. The Vikings nearly groaned in frustration. How were they supposed to recognize who these guys were? The man was about the same height as the other man, and his outfit matched his. Brown combat boots, black shoulder pads (although they weren't spiked), and black jeans.

Lastly, a tall man walked out of the shadows. He was the most attentive of the four. He was taller than the other three, making him a foot taller than the woman. His outfit was very interesting. He wore a hood made from black dragon scales, which were dark and didn't even reflect light. He wore brown armor, which covered his entire body. The Vikings could make out items hidden under his outfit, which fueled their curiosity. The last man had no weapon, or at least not one that was visible.

"You're right," came an angry voice. It was the last man. "It was Vikings." The black-scaled man reached towards the blue Deadly Nadder, who tried to move away. He quickly shushed the dragon, a line of chirps and hisses escaping his mouth.

The Vikings gasped quietly. Was he… talking to the dragon? And could he understand the dragon?

Suddenly, four dragons approached the scene. The Vikings bristled, hating the sight of the dragons. There was a Desert Wraith, a Monstrous Nightmare, a Stormcutter, and—what in Hel was that?!

Stoick gaped at the last dragon. Could it be? The scales matched perfectly with the ones he found in the forest. The ones that were on the bloody ground. Could this be the beast that murdered his son?

Just as the blue-hooded man reached towards the axe lodged in the Deadly Nadder's shoulder, Stoick, gestured with his wrist.

The chief of Berk flicked his wrist, signaling for the Vikings to attack.

The Vikings instantly leapt forward, snarling at the traitors.

"What the—" the woman began, but was quickly cut off by one of the Vikings slapping a hand over her mouth.

The tallest man, with the black-scaled hoodie, bristled. "Get the fuck away!" he snarled, digging into his armor and pulling out a dagger. It was tiny. There was no way this man could defeat them. He was basically weaponless, and outnumbered severely.

"I said get the FUCK away!" he snapped. Despite his frightening aura, another Viking stepped closer to them. He latched onto the blue-hooded man, holding him in a tight grip.

"Surrender, dragon rider!" The Viking demanded.

Suddenly, the four dragons behind them began growling and hissing. The red-hooded man held a hand to the dragons, telling them to stop. They reluctantly obeyed, resorting to silently glaring at the men.

The grey-hooded woman suddenly lashed out. She stomped on the Viking's foot, earning a grunt. His grip loosened around her neck, and she quickly took it to her advantage. She whipped around, landing a kick on the man's head. The blow was strong enough to knock him over, stunning the Vikings. Did that really just happen?

"I suggest you give up," the red-hooded man snarled.

The Vikings laughed. "Us give up? You're outnumbered and defenseless."

"We're the ones with dragons, strength, and knowledge. I suggest you smartasses leave us alone," the woman growled, reaching to her left hip. She whipped out a sword, which was crafted of ebony-black metal. The Vikings couldn't help but wonder what type of material the sword was made of.

Despite the Bonded's warnings, the Vikings edged closer to the group. "Get the dragons!" one of the chiefs ordered. Nets were cast towards the reptiles, but they easily leapt out of the way. The Monstrous Nightmare began igniting her throat, creating a blazing inferno in her own mouth. The Vikings stepped back, not expecting the abrupt warning.

The Desert Wraith slashed at a Viking's feet with sharp claws, earning a yowl of pain. The Vikings felt fear overcome them, but refused to give in. They had to catch these guys! The fate of their villages relied on them!

The Stormcutter whacked at a Viking's head with two of his wings, knocking the man over. The man groaned, but quickly regained his footing. He hurriedly got to his feet, then whipped out a sharp sword and pointed the weapon at the four-winged dragon.

The unknown dragon began spinning in a single circle, which caused his strong tail to strike the surrounding Vikings. It easily bowled them over.

"How dare you threaten us!" a feminine voice rang out. The tallest man, in black-colored scales, snapped his head in the direction of the voice. It was….

"Astrid! What're you doing here?" a man asked. It was her father.

"I'm here to help!" she growled back, raising her axe and aiming it for the mysterious man in armor and black scales.

Said man knew what was coming. He quickly sidestepped, only to have her whirl around to face him once more. She had gotten stronger.

He quickly lunged forward, but she did the same. She aimed for his shoulder, but missed when he dodged effortlessly. "What—" She was interrupted by a grip on her wrist. She felt the hand pry her fingers of the handle of her axe, making it clatter to the ground.

And suddenly, the man whipped her around, so that her back was against his chest. A cold sensation met her throat. She instantly recognized it to be a knife.

"Surrender!" he hollered, earning everyone's attention.

The men halted, gaping at the sight. How had this man beat her in combat?

"H-how—"

"Surrender!" the man repeated.

"Astrid… lost?"

"How?"

"Did he cheat?"

"Maybe he took advantage of the fight?"

"He must've used one of his dragon tricks!"

"SHUT UP! If you don't let us go, I will slit this girl's throat!" the man snarled.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Name:** The Escape

 **Chapter Summary:** The Vikings and dragon riders continue arguing,

 **Chapter Rating:** T, for violence and slight depression

 **Chapter Song:** Me, Myself and Time, by Demi Lovato

 **Pairing:** Eventual Hiccstrid (Hiccup x Astrid)

 **Important notes:** This is an AU where Hiccup runs away after the beginning events in the first film. Berk will still have issues with dragons, even after Hiccup has left. Dragonese is spoken like this: _"~italics and with symbols~"_ Regular Norse is "Just simple quotation marks"

 **WARNINGS:** Story includes violence and slight depression

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do NOT own How to Train Your Dragon, nor am I in any way associated with the movies.

XXX

I was terrified. I wasn't going to let it show, though. I currently had Astrid at my mercy, causing everyone to look shocked. Why was everyone so surprised? All I did was beat her in a fight!

"SHUT UP! If you don't let us go, I will slit this girl's throat!" I shouted.

I instantly regretted it. Yes, I still loved Astrid. Did I want to harm her? No. I didn't want a single scratch on her. I knew I had to protect my friends, though. How else could I get them out? This had to work. I was not willing to hurt this beautiful, young woman.

I was stunned when I saw her. She looked even more beautiful than the last time I saw her. She looked amazing. Her blonde hair pulled into a braid, a new spiked skirt, new boots, new everything! She even replaced her axe!

"You better surrender!" Ryker ordered. He was wearing his red hoodie. Minx was the gray hoodie, while Audun was the blue hoodie and I was the black-scaled hoodie.

The Vikings exchanged glances, as if thinking over their options. How dare they?! They were actually considering letting me slay Astrid!

"Alright, calm down. Let's handle this like men," a Viking spoke softly, as if I were about to explode.

"Like men?!" I laughed bitterly. "You and your "men" don't deserve that title. You're monsters!"

"We're monsters?!" a burly man exclaimed with rage. "You're the ones on the back of the beasts! They've killed hundreds of us!"

"And you've killed thousands of them!" I snapped. I quickly shook my head. "You wouldn't understand. You and your family and friends are nothing but savages," I spat. "You go tell your tribe that if they ever lay hand on another dragon, I will kill them."

"We have to hurt them!" someone shouted. "They raid us!"

"Only because they have to!" Minx snarled. "They're controlled by the Queen. Shut up and don't talk about things you don't know!"

I could tell this was getting bad. I needed to end this argument quickly. It was then I remembered Astrid in my grasp.

I released the blonde Viking, shoving her towards her father. "You people disgust me," I growled, my voice dangerously low. "Killing innocent creatures for a sport. For a reputation!"

"They're not innocent!" Astrid's father protested. ""They've killed us! Hunted us! Murdered us!"

"And you've done exactly the same thing to them!" Ryker retorted.

"You stupid little—don't you understand?!"

"Do you?!" I spat. "Because last I checked, you don't even know what a fucking Night Fury is."

The Vikings froze. Oh great, now I blew Toothless' cover. Oh well.

 _"~God I hate these guys! I can't believe you lived with them!~"_ Toothless growled.

 _"~Pfft, I know right!~"_ I hissed back.

I turned back to my human friends. "You guys handle the Nadder," I ordered. Ryker and Minx nodded, going off to help the injured dragon. I turned back to the Vikings, Audun by my side.

"We didn't come here to argue with complete bird brains," I snapped. "We came to help this poor dragon. How dare you… you _murderers_ hurt this innocent creature!"

"Have you been listening?!" a man I recognized as Spitelout, Snotlout's father, spoke. "They hurt us!"

I narrowed my eyes, staring at them with an angry glare. How dare they?! Do they just not understand?!

"Look," I hissed. "I'm not going to ask you again. You will let us leave, and you will not hurt a single dragon again. I could kill all of you poor excuses for a human with my bare hands!"

"I'd like to see you try!" Spitelout growled.

"No," an all-to-familiar voice spoke up. I felt my eyes widen, instantly registering the voice in my head. Could it be? Was it really him? No… surely he wasn't still chief here, right?

"You will not kill any of my men," came the voice again. The source of the voice shouldered his way through the Vikings. "And if you do, I will publicly execute you."

I stared at the man in front of me. It was him. He was alive and well, looking healthy. All I could see wrong with him was the small bags under his green eyes.

Audun must have noticed my shock. He placed a hand on my shoulder, whispering into my ear, "Are you okay?"

I quickly whispered back, "That's my dad."

Audun froze, going rigid. He must have been just as surprised as I was. I had managed to get over my astonishment, turning back to none other than Stoick the Vast.

"Good luck with that," I snapped. "I could have killed A—that girl over there within a heartbeat. You're lucky I didn't."

"And you're lucky we haven't killed you all yet," Stoick replied smoothly.

"What do you want from us?" Audun asked.

"You and your friends have freed those… those beasts! All around the area, too. You have taken away our ability to train and practice."

"We free them because they're innocent," Audun snapped. "You're lucky Rider and his Night Fury here don't kill you all."

Rider is my nickname. We made it up so that if I ever encountered my old people that my identity wouldn't be exposed.

The Vikings gave mocking laughs, disbelief on their features. "This twig?" they asked. "He probably can't even lift a sword!"

I narrowed my eyes behind my hood and mask, feeling offended. I had changed. I could lift a sword, I could fight, and I could certainly beat these guys.

"You want a bet?" I snarled, clutching my dagger tightly.

Stoick's eyes turned to slits, looking angry and annoyed. "Fine," he finally spoke. "The winner gets a reward. If I win, you and your vigilante friends will be held captive. If you win, you three may flee."

"Six," I corrected. "Us six."

"Six?" he asked with a confused expression.

I rolled my eyes. Still as daft as ever. "Yes, six. Last I checked Vikings weren't good with counting or including dragons."

Stoick's eyes flamed angrily, revealing his furious emotions. "Fine. You six may flee if you win."

I smirked. "Good."

"Begin!" Stoick exclaimed, grabbing his large, double-bladed axe and swinging it at my shoulder.

I quickly ducked, to his surprise. I was actually quite quick on my feet, despite my past. I then took advantage of his strength, by standing back up and letting him come charging at me. He pelted forward, aiming for my chest. I quickly swerved, ducking under his arm and reappearing behind him. I took the hilt of my knife, then bashed it into his neck, where a pressure point was. Stoick staggered, then whipped around.

Before I could react, Stoick swung his axe between my hands, which knocked my weapon from my hands. It flew high in the air, to my surprise. I growled, realizing this wasn't going to be as easy as expected. After all, this was Stoick the Vast.

I watched as a smirk grew on his face, signaling his arrogance. He thought he had won. I was determined to prove him wrong.

So I did something I had been working on for a while now. Instead of fleeing, I did something that earned multiple gasps. I used his distracted mind to my advantage, by bringing my foot up and kicking the axe out of his two meaty hands.

The double-bladed axe was knocked out of his grip, flying into the air. I quickly leaped up, clutching the handle tightly before returning my feet to the ground and pressing the blade to Stoick's throat.

There was silence. And suddenly, an uproar came from the Vikings.

"He cheated!"

"Who knows? Maybe he used his dragon tricks!"

"He must have used magic!"

"Witchcraft, maybe?"

"SHUT UP!" I shouted, catching everyone's attention. "I beat him fair and square. Get over it."

I then shoved Stoick's axe back into his hands, returning to my friends. Ryker and Minx were currently aiding the Deadly Nadder, who had lost consciousness. I quickly helped them, taking the bandages from Audun and covering the dragon's wound tightly.

Within seconds they had finished bandaging up the wound. I turned to face the Vikings, who were looking unconvinced. "Anyone who hurts a dragon will be punished… by me," I snarled.

Suddenly, just as I was turning to help Minx and Ryker up, I felt an excruciating pain in my cheek. I groaned, quickly reaching a hand up to feel against the newly-made wound. The front part of my helmet had been ripped off, by someone who had thrown a weapon at my face.

"What the fuck?!" I growled loudly. "What is with you people and throwing things at our faces?!"

I groaned, pulling my hand back and seeing crimson-colored blood staining my gloves. I grunted angrily, but decided to do something other than get revenge. I needed to make sure my cover wasn't blown.

So I pulled my hood down farther, making sure none of the Vikings could see my face. My helmet had half of the mask ripped off, which revealed a majority of my face.

I grabbed my dagger off the ground, clutching it so tightly my knuckles turned alabaster white. Next, I went over to Toothless, swinging my leg over his back and placing my left foot in the stirrup.

"I will come back for this Nadder later," I growled. "If any of you dare to touch her, I will see that you are all killed. I will bring war if I must."

Okay, so maybe I was bluffing. Just a little. I wouldn't actually bring war to my home village, but I sure was thinking about it. After all, what did they ever do for me? Knock me down and taunt me? Insult me? Hurt me?

Audun climbed onto his dragon as well, along with Minx and Ryker. They nodded at my words, emphasizing the point.

"Pleasure doing business with you," I snapped sarcastically, then tapped Toothless with my left heel. He sprung off the ground, flapping his wings and gaining speed as he flew into the sky.

I could hear the Vikings below protesting. They were shouting curses and rude phrases, which only amused me. I was used to it.

Behind me, Minx and Zander flew. On my left was Ryker and Alter. To the right was Audun and Portal. Audun was glancing at me sympathetically. I sighed, resting my head in my hands. I was so sick and tired of life.

When we reached the ice sanctuary, I hurriedly stepped off of Toothless, then headed towards my makeshift forge.

XXX

Valka frowned as she saw Hiccup walking off. She glanced over to the others, who were looking concerned and worried. She sighed, wondering what had happened.

"What happened?" she asked.

Minx glanced at the other two, before she began explaining. "We were racing and we heard this… wail come from Berk," Valka flinched, "And we went to go check it out. We ran into a wounded Deadly Nadder and Vikings."

"Stoick was there, too," Audun sighed.

Valka exhaled sharply, feeling sympathetic for her only son.

"Maybe we should go check on him?" Ryker suggested.

Valka just shook her head. "No, let him cool off," she sighed. "He needs some time alone."

The three exchanged disappointed glances. They were worried for their friend. He was having so much fun before they heard that wail from Berk. Now… now he must have felt terrible. They couldn't help but yearn to help their friend.

"Alright," Minx breathed out. "What's for dinner?"

Valka chuckled at her appetite, motioning for them to follow.

Their dragons came along, all but Toothless. Toothless was most likely with Hiccup.

When they reached the kitchen, Valka began handing out plates, along with utensils. She began grabbing some cooking supplies, along with ingredients. Minx smiled at the mother, thanking her. Ryker and Audun stared hungrily at the food, feeling tired from the earlier events.

"Alright, explain what happened while this is cooking," Valka spoke, heading back to the table after she began heating a few fish.

Minx decided she would take the chance to explain. So she began, "Well, we were flying around, trying to get away from Ryker and Alter, and we heard this… scream, of some sort, coming from Berk." She paused to breathe, drawing a curious expression from Valka. "We found that the Vikings had… tortured a Deadly Nadder! They stabbed it with one of their weapons, and I guess it was to lure us there."

Valka began bristling. So Berk wasn't getting better… if anything they were getting worse. "Ryker and I went to help the Nadder, while Hiccup and Audun argued with the Vikings. Eventually Hiccup's… father came out." She sucked in a breath. "And they fought. Hiccup fought… amazingly. He won, and we managed to escape."

"What happened to the Nadder?" Valka asked softly, unwilling to accept her husband's cruel behavior.

"We're coming back for her later," Ryker responded.

Valka nodded, wiping at her face with a hand. "I can't believe those Vikings," she muttered angrily.

"Join the club," Audun growled.

XXX

 **Wow. You guys are awesome! Already twenty plus favs and follows! Fourteen reviews? Wow. Thanks a lot guys! I'm going to be replying to reviews at the end of each chapter. Thanks!**

 **MMM:** Wow. That's a lot of reviews XD and yeah, thanks for the support. Pretty interesting events so far.

 **Guest:** I'm updating now c:

 **Transformers 0:** Thanks! It's nice to know people like my writing.

 **Silver Wind 02:** Here's an update! And thanks!

 **Aipocanrocinu unicornacopiA:** I had to copy and paste your username XD anyways, thanks! And here's the next chapter!

 **KatherineDarkQueenRiddle666:** Thanks! Updating now!

 **Thunderbird 22:** Haha, thanks XD

 **Djberneman:** I just thought people would prefer Hiccstrid. I'm still trying to give a final answer. An OC would be good, I guess. After all, Astrid's pretty… what's the word?... violent! xD


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I'm changing the summary! I've decided to have there be an enemy in this story. Here's the new summary:**

AU. Hiccup is tired of being the useless wimp of the tribe. He finally decides to run away, to start a new life. He encounters many new friends, and certain family members. But what happens when he returns to Berk with a few big surprises? And with the enemy closing in?

 **I basically just added another sentence at the end xD Oh well. Anyways, the enemy in this story will be explained and revealed later. Enjoy!**

 ** _IMPORTANT NOTE:_** **I do NOT own this new OC. It was requested by Zyonzillia! All rights for this new character, Jake, go to Zyonzillia! Thanks.**

 **Chapter Name:** Introducing… the new Dragon Rider

 **Chapter Summary:** Hiccup begins thinking over the possibility of returning to Berk. And when they come to a decision, they meet a stranger who intrigues them. Looks like Toothless isn't the only Night Fury around.

 **Chapter Rating:** T, for violence and slight depression

 **Chapter Song:** Me, Myself and Time, by Demi Lovato

 **Pairing:** Eventual Hiccstrid (Hiccup x Astrid)

 **Important notes:** This is an AU where Hiccup runs away after the beginning events in the first film. Berk will still have issues with dragons, even after Hiccup has left. Dragonese is spoken like this: "~italics and with symbols~" Regular Norse is "Just simple quotation marks"

 **WARNINGS:** Story includes violence and slight depression

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do NOT own How to Train Your Dragon, nor am I in any way associated with the movies.

XXX

I pounded the sword I was currently crafting, flattening out the blade. I sighed loudly, feeling overwhelmed and angry. How dare my "father" do that? How could they hurt that poor Nadder so easily? How could they not see the beauty behind dragons?

I stuck the sword in a barrel of water, which instantly cooled it off. I continued working on the weapon, while lost in thought.

I couldn't help but think over Stoick's reaction if I were to reveal myself. Maybe he missed me? Maybe he would be glad to see me? Perhaps he would be relieved, or maybe even happy? We could share stories, he could apologize, and I could teach all of the Berkians about the truth behind dragons.

From behind me, I could hear a coo. I frowned, pulling the sword out of the water and setting it on my counter. I turned to see Toothless standing there, looking worried and concerned.

 _"~Are you okay, Hiccup?~"_ he asked.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. _"~I don't know. I'm just in shock… how could Dad be so cruel?~"_

Toothless rolled his eyes. _"~Who knows. He's a Viking.~"_

 _"~I used to be a Viking too, though~,"_ I responded.

 _"~Exactly~,"_ he responded. _"~The keywords are used to. Look, the reason you're different is because you gave me a chance. You made a choice to change. You're an amazing person, Hiccup.~"_

I couldn't help but smile at his kind words. _"~Thanks~,"_ I murmured. He just nodded his head. I breathed out dramatically, tiredly wiping at my face. _"~Man, I miss them~,"_ I sighed.

 _"~You do?~"_

 _"~Yeah… did you see Astrid?~"_ I smiled. _"~She looks even more beautiful.~"_

Toothless snorted. _"~For a Viking, yeah.~"_

I closed my eyes, picturing the blonde shield maiden that I saw earlier that day. She had long blonde hair, braided elegantly. Her icy-blue eyes were more vibrant, and her face had narrowed more. She had a brown spiked skirt, instead of maroon. She wore a coat with fur lining, and spiked shoulder pads.

I reopened my eyes, turning my gaze back to Toothless. _"~I don't know what to do~,"_ I said honestly. _"~Should I go back?~"_

Toothless frowned, nudging my hand. I smiled, scratching his chin. _"~That's up to you~,"_ he sighed. _"~Just know there will be a lot of trouble.~"_

I nodded, seeing his point. If only none of this had happened. If only I hadn't run away, then I wouldn't be burdened right now. But then I would've never met Minx, Audun, and Ryker or their dragons. And Mom. I would definitely not miss out on meeting Mom.

I shook my head, trying to snap out of my stupor. I turned back to Toothless who licked my face. _"~Gross!~"_ I exclaimed. He chuckled.

 _"~Hey, you're bleeding!~"_ he growled, sniffing at my cheek.

 _"~Yeah….~"_ I frowned. _"~One of the Vikings threw something at my face. Ripped half of my mask off, too~,"_ I growled.

 _"~Ugh, when will they learn?~"_ Toothless snarled. Suddenly, he lifted his muzzle into the air. _"~I smell fish!~"_ And he bolted off, towards the kitchen.

I chuckled, wiping away stray drops of blood on my face. I then followed after him, my stomach rumbling angrily. I hadn't realized how hungry I was until now.

When I reached the kitchen, Toothless was already gobbling down some salmon. I chuckled, earning the group's attention.

"Hey, Hiccup," Ryker greeted. "Are you all right?"

I sighed, shaking my head. "I'm just so disappointed with how cruel they are," I spoke with a genuine tone. I grabbed my own plate, piling it with roasted fish. "I thought they would have changed."

"Don't worry, Hiccup," Mom murmured lovingly. "Maybe one day they'll learn. You can't expect too much from Vikings."

"But if I could change, why can't they?" I asked.

She smiled gently. "Because you're different," she stroked my hair. "You're different in the best way possible. You gave Toothless, and the other dragons, a chance."

I grinned softly at her words. "Thanks, Mom," I pecked her cheek with a kiss, then took a seat at the table. I dug into my fish hungrily, not bothering with utensils.

"When was the last time you ate?" Ryker laughed.

I shrugged. "Dunno. I'm just thankful for Mom's cooking."

They chuckled. Mom picked up the plates, placing them in a container nearby a bucket of water. "I'll wash them later," she lied. I laughed, but continued devouring my fish.

They had all already finished, so I was the only one eating. While eating, though, I thought over my earlier conversation with Toothless. Should I go back to Berk? What would they say? How would they react?

Finally, I felt a tug at my heart. I frowned, trying my best to listen to it. _'Returnnnn,'_ it urged.

I blinked, realizing what I wanted to do.

"Guys?" I piped up. They hummed. "I think…." I hesitated, staring down at my fish. "I think I should go back to Berk."

At first, there was utter silence. I frowned, poking my fish with my fingers. How were they going to react? Would they agree or disagree? And then, all at once, they asked the same question.

"Why?" they all voiced.

I sighed, sitting up straighter. I turned to face them, racking through my brain for my reasons.

"Well, I miss them," I sighed. "Plus, we could help convince them about dragons being good."

"Hiccup did you not see what they did to that Nadder?" Ryker asked. "There's no hope for them. They'll always be the bloodthirsty Vikings."

I shook my head. "No, they won't. If I can manage to just… show them the truth, then they can have a chance with the dragons."

They exchanged glances, looking doubtful and wary. I sighed with frustration. "Guys, c'mon. The least we can do is try," I argued. "Once they see Mom, we should have a good chance to convince them."

"What about you?" Minx asked. "If they learn you ran away for a dragon and your mother never returned due to Cloudjumper, Stoick will be pissed. He'll think you're both traitors!"

I sighed, rubbing at my face. "I know, but… please, guys," I murmured pathetically.

I watched hopefully as they looked at one another. The three younger adults glanced over at Mom, wanting the OK. She sighed, her arms dropping to her sides.

"Hiccup I don't think—"

I didn't listen to any more of her sentence. I shot up from my seat, barging out of the kitchen. I heard their protests, but ignored the shouts that came from the room. I motioned for Toothless to follow me, and he reluctantly did. Thankfully, he had already finished gobbling his fish down.

I ran a hand through my hair, feeling stressed and overwhelmed. Why was it so difficult just to go back home? Was it even considered home?

I strapped Toothless' saddle on, along with his artificial tail and the stirrup. I could hear someone's footsteps echoing off the cave walls, which startled me. I picked up the pace, strapping the saddle tighter around the Night Fury.

I then climbed on hurriedly, tapping Toothless with my left foot. He instantly flapped his wings, racing out of the room and soaring out of the ice sanctuary.

We flew in silence, while I just felt like I needed to blow off steam. I suddenly let out a loud bellow, putting all my anger and frustration into that one noise. I leaned back on Toothless, trying to relax.

"I'm so tired of life right now," I growled.

And suddenly, I heard another pair of wingbeats. I instantly shot up, glancing around warily. What the heck? The wingbeats weren't even with Toothless'. They were offbeat compared to his, meaning there must have been another dragon very close to us.

"Shhh," I whispered to Toothless, trying to lie low on his shoulders.

I glanced around wildly, feeling my anxiety slowly creep up. What was that noise?

Suddenly, a high-pitched screech filled my ears. I gaped at the noise, instantly recognizing it: a Night Fury's introducing war cry.

"Toothless, we gotta—"

Suddenly, a black figure shot up from the clouds. I instantly pulled on Toothless' saddle, trying to stop him. He flapped his wings hard, trying to stay in place. I stared in awe as the black silhouette flapped their wings as well, easily managing to fly in place.

"Uh… no sudden moves," I whispered to Toothless.

Suddenly, before Toothless and I could react, a roar emitted itself from the black dragon. And that's when I realized something:

It was another Night Fury.

I gasped, and Toothless must have realized it as well. He stared with wide, green eyes at the figure.

It was definitely a Night Fury. He was larger than Toothless, though, probably making him full grown. And it was then I spotted something on its shoulders. A human.

"STAY WHERE YOU ARE!" the voice demanded. I watched in shock as the human on the Night Fury's back stood up straighter, revealing himself. He was muscular, but not as large as a Viking. In fact, he was a bit bigger than me.

"Who are you?!" the male voice growled over the sound of frantic wingbeats.

"R-Rider," I answered. "We don't mean any harm! Who're you?"

There wasn't a reply. Suddenly, the Night Fury dived back under the clouds. "Hey!" I bellowed, making Toothless dive after the black dragon. We dived towards the ground, where the other Night Fury was heading.

What shocked me, though, was what we saw. It was just like the Queen's nest nearby Berk, but a little bit smaller. There were several dragons surrounding the area, and I couldn't help but wonder who was in charge at this nest.

And suddenly, I saw movement from the corner of my eyes. I snapped my head in the direction, stunned to see the Night Fury and his rider landing on the ground of the nest.

I urged Toothless to follow them, which he did. We landed beside the two strangers, who paid us nearly no attention. "Hey!" I called.

"Do you live here?" I asked curiously.

The man ignored me, sliding off his larger Night Fury and strolling towards the entrance to the nest.

"Hey!" I called once more. I unhooked myself from Toothless, then followed after him.

The stranger's Night Fury roared, leaping forward to pin me to the ground. "What—" The Night Fury snarled in my face, earning a whistle.

The whistle came from the Night Fury's rider. "Hey, c'mere, Shadow!" the man demanded. The black reptile, Shadow, reluctantly climbed off of me, trotting back over to his friend.

I got to my feet swiftly, while Toothless nudged me.

 _"~Are you okay? Who are those guys?~"_

 _"~I don't know… do you think the man understands Dragonese?~"_ I asked.

 _"~Oh, he does, alright~,"_ the man's voice hissed back in perfect Dragonese.

I blinked, slowly approaching the man. "We didn't come here to fight… we were just flying around," I explained cautiously.

"Right," the man snorted. "Rider, is it? What're you doing out here? There's not many islands nearby this place."

"We… we live nearby, at a different nest," I answered. "Who are you?"

"I'm Jake," he spoke. "This is my Night Fury, Shadow. I see you have your own," he observed.

"Uh… yes. This is Toothless," I introduced.

"Retractable teeth?" he asked knowingly. I nodded. "Hmph. Not so much of a threatening name."

"Yeah…."

"What are you doing here? Just flying about?" he asked. I nodded. "Well, you shouldn't be here. Shadow and I could have easily killed you."

I frowned. "We didn't mean to—"

"You already said that," he snapped. "I don't need you going off and telling everyone about me. I'm unknown to people for a reason."

"What if—"

"No, shut up. Leave, and if you tell anyone about me and Shadow, I won't hesitate to kill you and your little friend," he snarled.

"But… I have people," I tried again. "You could come to our nest. There's a Bewilderbeast there, and—"

"The White King?" Jake asked.

"Yes," I nodded.

He hesitated. Jake cast his gaze back to Shadow, before turning to me. "Fine. If any of your friends threaten us, we will not show any more mercy."

I nodded once more. "Got it."

"Good."

And with that, Jake climbed back onto Shadow. I watched with an intrigued expression as they both shot up into the air. I did the same with Toothless, while he began conversing with me.

 _"~Are you sure about this?~"_ Toothless asked.

 _"~Yeah… besides, the group and I could probably handle him~,"_ I replied.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that!" Jake's voice shouted.

I rolled my eyes, before leading the way back to the ice sanctuary.

Jake and Shadow easily kept up with us, but I decided to not think much of it. Toothless was fast, but it seemed Shadow was actually a tad bit faster. They were both Night Furies, one was bound to be faster than the other.

In the distance, I spotted the ice nest.

"There!" I called to Jake. He narrowed his eyes, staring at the nest curiously.

I continued leading him towards the island, with him and Shadow keeping up without any signs of effort.

When we reached the island, I softly landed Toothless on the beach. Jake and Shadow landed beside us. I slid off Toothless, while Jake followed my actions.

"How many people do you have in your group?" he asked.

"Um… four, not including me."

"Hmph," he grunted, following at my heels. I swerved in and out of the tunnels that led to the inside of the nest, hoping to impress the stranger I just met. Hopefully it was working. I didn't feel like holding this guy up. He seemed pretty sure of himself.

When we reached the inside of the ice sanctuary, he stared around in a small reverie of shock. "This is…."

"Cool?" I smirked.

He glanced over to me. "Yes, cool." I led the way to the kitchen, where Mom, Minx, Audun, and Ryker were seated.

They instantly looked up, racing over to greet me.

"We were worried sick!" Mom exclaimed. "You can't just run out like that!" she scolded.

I frowned. "Sorry," I muttered.

I heard a snicker from beside me. I spotted Jake from the edge of my vision looking amused.

"Who's this?" Mom asked accusingly.

"This is Jake, and his _Night Fury_ , Shadow," I explained, emphasizing the "Night Fury" part.

Their eyes widened, realizing just how rare it was to have more than one Night Fury at a time.

"I thought Toothless was the last of his kind!" Mom exclaimed.

"Yeah, me too," I smiled. "Apparently we were wrong."

I then turned to face Jake. "Jake, this is Minx, Audun, Ryker, and my Mom, Valka," I introduced them all.

"Hiccup!" Mom scorned. "You can't just lead strangers into this place!"

"Relax," Jake growled. "Not like I have a reason to steal this place."

I frowned, before asking, "So, how old are you?"

"Thirty-four," he answered automatically.

"Really?" Minx asked. "You look so much… younger."

He just shrugged. "Any more questions?"

"Nope," I smirked.

He nodded, turning back to his dragon. _"~Should we stay here for now?~"_ he asked Shadow.

"Yes, you can stay for dinner," Mom answered.

He turned to her, nodding his head respectfully. "Okay, good. I'm starving!"

"Get in line," Minx growled.

"You're always hungry!" Ryker argued.

"Am not!" she protested.

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

 _"~Oh great, just what I needed. Another headache~,"_ Toothless growled.

XXX

 **OMG. Thanks SO much for all the support! In case you guys didn't read the earlier Author's Note, this new OC belongs to Zyonzillia. They requested for him to be added. Here's the review replies!**

 **FloratheToyKitten:** Thanks! I'm glad you like it!

 **Braggy:** Thanks for the support!

 **Transformers 0:** Nah, he's too nice xD And alright, I'm thinking of the Hiccstrid ship to satisfy more people.

 **Silver Wind 02:** Awe, thank you!

 **DeathStrike59:** Nope! Thanks for reviewing c:

 **Angryhenry:** Bravo. xD

 **Lightclaw's Shadow:** yay! Valka and Hiccup fluff! :3 and yeah, I wanted some drama in it lol

 **MMM:** I'm gonna add more Stoick and Hiccup once Hiccup returns to Berk… and wait was that sarcasm? Lol

 **QueenMabXxx:** Aw, thanks! I'm really glad people seem to like this story!

 **FelicitousVixen:** Thank you! Here's a chapter!

 **Thanks for everyone for the favs, follows, and reviews!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Okay, wow. So there's already 36 reviews, 40 plus favs and 50 plus follows. I also checked my Story Stats, and it had 1.9 THOUSAND views! That may or may not be a lot, I don't really know lol, but to me it's a big number. So thanks soooo much you guys! Onto the next chapter!**

 **IMPORTANT PAIRING NOTE:** I am torn! I don't know which pairing to choose. Review below and tell me which pairing you would like. A Hiccup x OC pairing, OR a Hiccstrid (Hiccup x Astrid) pairing. Thanks! And if you choose the OC pairing, tell me if it should be Minx or a new character.

 **Chapter Name:** Dragon Rescuing!

 **Chapter Summary:** Hiccup and the group hear word about people on a new island torturing dragons. With Jake still having to prove himself, they set off to rescue them.

 **Chapter Rating:** T, for violence and slight depression

 **Chapter Song:** Me, Myself and Time, by Demi Lovato

 **Pairing:** Eventual Hiccstrid (Hiccup x Astrid)

 **Important notes:** This is an AU where Hiccup runs away after the beginning events in the first film. Berk will still have issues with dragons, even after Hiccup has left. Dragonese is spoken like this: "~italics and with symbols~" Regular Norse is "Just simple quotation marks"

 **WARNINGS:** Story includes violence and slight depression

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do NOT own How to Train Your Dragon, nor am I in any way associated with the movies.

XXX

It's been about three days since we met Jake and Shadow. Toothless and Shadow argue often, but you can tell they're close anyways. Jake has yet to prove his loyalty to us, and I feel as though he should. We haven't voiced our thoughts, but I can tell the others are anxious to get Jake to prove himself. We don't want to have to deal with betrayal.

So today we had formed a plan. We were to travel to an island called Hyra. Hyra was apparently a new island. The Vikings had discovered it about two decades ago, and moved there. Minx told me about how they nearly landed on it, since their dragons were tired. They decided not to, though, when they heard they were brutal Vikings.

There were some captured dragons, too. We decided it would be best for Jake and Shadow to come along with us, so that they could prove themselves.

Jake and Shadow don't yet live with us. They would both go back to their separate nest at the end of the day, which was usually after dinner. In the last three days, we've been getting closer with Jake. Shadow had a habit of being overprotective, but we all respected him. He was just defending his rider, like Toothless did with me.

Speaking of Toothless, he was currently helping me in the forge. Jake was there too, along with Shadow in the corner of the hot room. Jake was glancing around curiously, taking in all the details.

"This is a cool setup you got here," Jake spoke.

I just nodded. "Yeah, thanks. Took a while to get it all going."

He continued looking around, taking long glimpses of each area. I continued banging on my newest creation, a fiery sword. It was called Inferno. I was currently tinkering with the handle of the sword, while keeping it closed. You see, when I pressed a certain button, the sword would catch fire, creating a blade that was constructed of flames.

It also had Zippleback gas. If I pressed the second button, it would release the gas. Next, the third button would create sparks, which lit up the gas and created an explosion. I thought it was pretty neat.

Jake walked over to me, inspecting my work. "Nice," he finally spoke. "Except maybe you should make the handle engraved more."

"Okay. Wait, why?" I asked.

"So that it's easier to hold," he responded. "It will keep your hands from getting too slippery and sweaty, too."

I blinked, staring at him in awe. It turned out Jake was actually an amazing fighter. He was intelligent and sneaky, along with brave and friendly. At first, he was rude and mean. He would be impatient and snap at everyone when they annoyed him. Over the last two days, he's changed. It turns out he's pretty loyal. Or, well, that we know of so far.

"Alright, thanks," I smiled, continuing to melt the metal so that it would be easier to carve.

"No problem," he grinned back, turning to Toothless and Shadow, who were once again arguing. "Ugh, do those two ever stop?" he grumbled. I chuckled.

 _"~Shut up!~"_ Shadow growled. _"~You're giving me a headache! Your voice is hurting my ears!~"_

 _"~Yeah, well your face is hurting my eyes!~"_ Toothless snapped back.

 _"~Guys!~"_ I hissed. _"~Play nicely.~"_

 _"~We're not hatchlings!~"_ Shadow mumbled.

I rolled my eyes, along with Jake, then turned back to my workspace. I continued taking the blade of my knife, slowly and cautiously digging into the metal. It slowly made engraved markings on the handle, which, to my surprise, actually did make it easier to hold.

"Huh, you were right," I smiled at Jake.

He smirked. "When am I not?"

We shared a light chuckle, before I thrusted the blade into a container of water to cool it. The metal began turning solid once more.

"Alright, so, the gang and I were talking—"

"Oh, boy," Jake groaned.

"And we heard about an island called Hyra. They capture dragons, and I was thinking you should come with us to free them," I finished.

He frowned, glancing back over to Shadow, who was glaring at Toothless. I chuckled at his impolite stare, before turning back to Jake. He sighed.

"Fine," he muttered.

"Awesome," I smirked. "Let's go, before Shadow eats Toothless."

I waved towards Toothless, gesturing for him to follow me. He obeyed, trotting towards me and following at my heels. Jake did the same with Shadow, then we approached the group, in the kitchen.

"Hey, guys," I greeted. "Jake agreed to go with us."

"Great," Mom smiled. "When should we go?"

"Let me finish eating," Minx mumbled through a mouthful of fish.

"Ugh, now we'll never leave!" Audun joked.

I chuckled as Minx playfully punched him, before turning back to her plate. She quickly devoured the rest of her meal, then got to her feet. "Let's go kick some ass!" she smirked.

I rolled my eyes, while Jake agreed and climbed aboard Shadow. I tightened Toothless' saddle, then inched onto him as well. Minx got onto Zander, Audun got onto Portal, and Ryker climbed onto Alter. Mom reached up to Cloudjumper, sitting on his shoulders.

"Alright, do we have the map?" Mom called to us.

"Yup!" Ryker responded.

"Good, let's go!" Audun exclaimed. His dragon was the first to become airborne. I followed next, then Jake and Shadow, along with the other six.

Mom and Cloudjumper led the way, swooping down towards a distant piece of land. I smiled at the feeling of freedom, lifting my arms and letting them feel the wind passing by us. Toothless purred, and soon Jake and Shadow did the same.

When we reached the island, we landed as discreetly as we could. We reached a forest just outside of the village. I carefully urged Toothless to touch the ground, which he did. The others did the same, softly and quietly.

We shushed our dragons, telling them to stay hidden in the forest. "We're gonna wait 'til it gets a little darker," I whispered to the group. They all nodded in agreement.

Within ten more minutes of sitting around, it was time. The moon was slowly rising higher, and the sun was lowering. Most of the village was probably inside by now, which gave us a higher chance of not being caught.

"Alright, someone needs to create a distraction," Mom spoke. "Who wants to do it? They might need to bring their dragon, so that it'll catch the guards' attention."

Jake immediately volunteered. "Shadow and I'll do it."

"Great," she smiled. "You seem able to fight the guards off anyways. Go and create a distraction, and when you think we'll be good to go, then have Shadow call to one of the dragons."

"Got it," he whispered back. He motioned for Shadow to follow after him, then they disappeared into the village. We waited silently, before hearing sounds of distress and battle. I frowned, worrying over the poor guy. He seemed strong enough, so surely he was doing fine, right?

Suddenly, Toothless' ears perked up. _"~I can hear Shadow hissing~,"_ he announced. _"~He's saying 'come'.~"_

I nodded to the others, and they obliged to come with me. We slowly crawled towards the arena, where the dragons were usually kept. I began talking with the dragons, hissing quietly so that I wouldn't alarm any nearby guards.

 _"~Hey, anyone there?~"_ I asked.

Silence. And then, suddenly, a new voice asked, _"~Who is that?~"_

 _"~My name is Rider~,"_ I answered. _"~My group and I are going to free you all. But you have to keep quiet.~"_

 _"~Okay, of course!~"_ they responded.

I nodded to the others, and they began slowly lifting the levers to the dragons' cell doors. Immediately, a gold and brown terrible terror burst out of the first cell. Next came a golden Deadly Nadder, then a green Hideous Zippleback. Lastly was two Gronckles.

 _"~Alright, now go! Do it quietly, though~,"_ I ordered. They nodded, trying as hard as they could to keep quiet as they left the arena and flew off into the distance.

Suddenly, a scream came from outside the arena. I gasped, quickly shushing the others and racing towards the source of the noise. I was shocked to see Jake hovering over a guard, shoving his left arm around his back painfully.

"Jake!" I whisper-yelled. "Stop! We don't want to wake everyone up!"

Said man hesitated, before pushing the guard to the dirt ground. "Fine. He was annoying anyways," he growled.

What we had also learned about Jake was that he was cruel to enemies. Cruel as in diabolic, rude, murderous, and brutal. He was always able to take a man down, whether it be a good person or a bad person.

"C'mon, the dragons are free!" I added. He nodded, whistling to Shadow. The Night Fury came back, racing towards us. He flapped his wings, then crouched down to allow Jake onto his shoulders.

I returned to the arena, to find the group all getting ready to leave the caged arena. I motioned for them to follow, and they did. We raced back into the forest, only to hear someone shouting after us.

"Hey! There's intruders!" someone bellowed.

I gulped, quickly calling back to the others, "Come on!"

When we reached the dragons' hideout, we all clambered onto their shoulders and took off into the air. The last thing we heard from the island of Hyra was, _"War it shall be!"_

XXX

We breathed out a sigh of relief once we were growing farther away from the island. I laughed nervously, glancing over at the others. They all joined in on the laugh, until we were breathless.

"Great job, Jake," I praised him.

 _"~What about me?~"_ Shadow growled.

I rolled my eyes. _"~You too, Shadow.~"_

He smirked, as far as dragons could smirk, then continued flying ahead of the rest of us. Shadow was known to show off a little, since he was the legendary Night Fury and an aggressive one at that.

"Is it just me, or did that man on Hyra shout war at us?" Minx called over the breeze.

I frowned, recalling the guard's words as well. "Yeah…." I trailed off, looking over to Mom. She looked thoughtful.

"He was probably bluffing," Ryker shrugged. "After all, they barely even know much about us."

"Yeah, that must be it…." Audun frowned, turning back to face forward.

I followed his actions, swiveling back around to face towards the front. I patted Toothless' head, smiling down at him.

"Nice job, bud," I smiled. "When we get home, I promise a whole bucket of salmon."

He heard the word "salmon" and instantly perked up, smiling his gummy smile. I chuckled, patting his head once more, before focusing back on the invisible path back home.

XXX

When we reached the ice sanctuary, we quickly headed towards the kitchen. Minx, being Minx, dug into more fish. It seemed fish was all we ate nowadays. Well, that and bread. Bread was pretty good, actually. Especially Mom's bread.

I kept my promise to Toothless, preparing him a whole meal with salmon, and also different kinds of fish.

We joined one another around the table, while the dragons ate in silence.

"So," Ryker started. "Jake, tell us more about yourself."

Jake frowned. "Well, I'm thirty-four, have a Night Fury named Shadow—I think you might've met him," he muttered sarcastically. "No one has really known me… besides you guys. Oh, and I live in my own dragon nest."

"Really?" Mom asked, an impressed expression on her face. "Does the nest have a queen or king?"

"Yeah, there's a queen," he answered. "She's not as cruel as the one Hiccup told me about, though. She's less selfish, but still demands food. When she doesn't need the extra food, she'll allow her nest-mates to eat it."

"Sounds a whole lot better than the Red Death," I observed.

Jake nodded. "Yeah, she is, from what you've told me. She's a dark gray, almost black, with red and orange spikes and patterns here and there."

"What about yourself?" Audun asked curiously.

He shrugged. "Not much to tell."

"Past?" I asked.

He froze, going rigid. "Er…." He trailed off nervously, avoiding our gazes. "Well, I used to have a father, but some… events happened, and I had to protect Shadow."

"Oh."

We went silent for a small moment, not sure what to say. What did he do to his father? Did he threaten him? Hurt him? …Kill him?

"What was your village like? Did you live in one?" Minx asked politely.

He nodded. "Yes, I lived in a village. My father saw me as a traitor, though, once he discovered Shadow. I did what I had to do to keep Shadow safe."

We nodded quietly, watching as Shadow cutely nudged Jake's hand. He chuckled, rubbing the top of the larger Night Fury's head.

I sighed, glancing back over to Toothless. He nodded at my mental question, as if reading my mind. I smiled to him, watching as he continued gobbling down his fish.

I then turned back to Jake and Shadow, who were still conversing with one another. I think I could trust Jake now.

XXX

 **Thanks to all of you guys for the reviews! Here's the replies:**

 **Litwick723:** Ugh, I'm so torn! I don't know which pairing to choose. I think I might want an OC pairing because then Astrid will have a fit lol

 **RainbowToasterCake:** Lol, thanks! I'm trying to upload as much as possible while I still have muse!

 **FloratheToyKitten:** xD Yay, I put your name again! You're welcome! And thanks haha

 **Lightclaw's Shadow:** I know right! Yay!

 **DeathStrike59:** Hmm… you never know!

 **MMM:** Ikr everyone seems to like the Night Fury xD Thanks!

 **Hiccstrid456:** Thanks!

 **Angryhenry:** Yup. xD

 **Braggy:** Thanks! Here's some more x3

 **Transformers 0:** Haha, yup! xD


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Thanks again guys for all the support! I know, I update a lot. xD That's probably why people don't often look at their updated stories lol. Anyways, enjoy!**

 **IMPORTANT PAIRING NOTE:** Ok, so a lot of you are saying OC pairing, but there's also a lot saying Hiccstrid. Keep reviewing your vote! So far they're about even. I wanna do the pairing that would satisfy myself and more people. But so far I really like both! It's you guys' decision! PLUS, PLEASEEEEE REVIEW YOUR INPUT! I CAN'T UPDATE THIS STORY UNTIL I GET ENOUGH VOTES TO DECIDE WHAT PAIRING IT SHOULD BE!

 **Chapter Name:** Dreams and the Enemy

 **Chapter Summary:** Hiccup has a strange dream that makes him want to go back to Berk. Meanwhile, Jake reveals a big secret about the island Hyra, where they last rescued the dragons.

 **Chapter Rating:** T, for violence and slight depression

 **Chapter Song:** Me, Myself and Time, by Demi Lovato

 **Pairing:** Eventual Hiccstrid (Hiccup x Astrid)

 **Important notes:** This is an AU where Hiccup runs away after the beginning events in the first film. Berk will still have issues with dragons, even after Hiccup has left. Dragonese is spoken like this: "~italics and with symbols~" Regular Norse is "Just simple quotation marks"

 **WARNINGS:** Story includes violence and slight depression

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do NOT own How to Train Your Dragon, nor am I in any way associated with the movies.

XXX

Jake was very trustworthy now. We had managed to become closer with him, and he would share his stories about his past. We learned that he had, in fact, murdered his father to protect Shadow. I could tell he regretted it, though. It seemed to haunt him to this day.

We also play-fought with Jake. He gave us tips to perfect our fighting tactics, which actually helped quite a lot. He was an amazing fighter. One thing I've noticed is how he's able to hide in the shadows. It's cool, really. His dark outfit helps as well, yet even with lighter clothes he fits in decently.

Toothless and Shadow are slowly getting used to one another. They don't argue as much, which is a big relief. They could be quite annoying sometimes. Jake managed to convince Shadow not to keep fighting with Toothless, since they could both very well be the last of their kind. Too bad Shadow wasn't a girl….

Jake and Shadow now live with us in the ice sanctuary. He still visits his nest every now and then, which didn't really bother us. After all, it used to be his home for quite some time.

So here we are now, finishing up with dinner. We shared a couple laughs here and there, until we all headed back to bed. I bid everyone goodnight, then headed off to my bedroom. Toothless followed after me, since we slept in the same room. He curled up on his bed, which was a creation of my own, and quickly drifted off into sleep.

I stared up at the ceiling for a while, lost in thought. So much had happened these last four years. Yes, four years. One year ago, which made it three years since I left Berk, I met Minx, Audun, and Ryker. After them staying with us for about five months, it was then about three years and a half. And then there were four more months before we ran into the Vikings on Berk. And now it's been three more months since I met Jake and Shadow.

Eventually I managed to slip into a deep slumber, hoping to calm my thoughts.

XXX

 _Screams echoed in the dark aura, creating a chaotic chorus of shouts. The moon shined upon the island, creating an eerie feeling. Fire pits were lit in the sky, allowing easier eyesight. Roars and shrieks ricocheted throughout the village. The clanging of weapons striking one another filled the atmosphere, along with angry shouts and bellows._

 _Berk was losing the fight. Their members were growing weak and tired, along with their dragons. The dragons were having trouble remaining airborne, and their shot limits were all gone. They barely had any fight left in them._

 _The Vikings, however, were just as bad. Several weapons were already breaking and cracking under the pressure of the intruders' swords and axes. Their muscles ached, screaming in protest every time they moved. Their lungs were ablaze, exhaustion coursing through them._

 _Their attackers had all the advantages. Stronger armor, weapons, more fighters, and the element of surprise. They had managed to sneak up on the Berkians, which easily caused conflict to break out. Their ships had been hidden by the tall trees of Berk's forest, which concealed their boats and kept their location hidden._

 _Suddenly, I was there. Me, Hiccup Haddock, standing there in the middle of the battlefield. I watched helplessly as many of my old tribe-mates were killed before my eyes, scarring my memory. I cried out, only for no one to hear me. They were all too busy with their own problems._

 _I glanced around in shock, trying to see what was going on. There had to be hundreds of intruders running about. They were slashing at every Berkian they saw, drawing blood and earning screams of pain._

 _I gulped, knowing what to do. I had to help somehow, right? So I grabbed my own sword, Inferno, and raced towards the first opponent I saw. It was a tall man, dressed in think armor and spiked shoulder pads. I smirked at the challenge._

 _He spotted me instantly, then charged towards me. I quickly ducked under his armpit, using the same technique I did with Stoick. Wait a second—Stoick!_

 _I wildly looked around, searching through the chaos that reigned. I was looking for Dad. Surely he had to be here! Where was he?_

 _While I was distracted, the previous man I was fighting ganged up on me. He stabbed me in the shoulder, striking through my shoulder pad with such force I thought impossible._

 _"No…." I whispered, collapsing to my knees. I felt a warm liquid flow from my shoulder, creating a sticky feeling under my clothes. I felt pain sprout in the area, earning a screech from me. I went on all fours, which caused more pain. I cried out when my left hand reached the ground, since I was stabbed in the left shoulder._

 _Suddenly, I glanced up through my blurry vision. "Dad…." I continued looking around, the figures in the battle growing blurred and unfocused. I narrowed my eyes, trying to concentrate on my eyesight. It didn't work. The figures kept blurring together, making it difficult to see._

 _And suddenly, just as my eyes closed, I saw properly again. There he was: Dad. He was shoved to his knees, while the leader of the attackers held a sword to his throat._

 _It was then my eyes were met with another pair of green ones. It was Dad staring back at me. He had tears in his eyes, staring at me with a hopeful expression. Suddenly, I watched his mouth open in a gasp._

 _"Hiccup…," he gasped, as if not believing it was me._

 _"I'm sorry," I whispered, hoping he could read my lips. "I'm so sorry…."_

XXX

I burst into the air, sitting up straight. My muscles were tense, along with my body being rigid. I took in my surroundings, surprised to see I was in my room at the ice sanctuary. "What—"

I was interrupted by a soft croon. I frowned, glancing to my right. There was Toothless, standing at the edge of my bed and looking worried. I sighed in relief, realizing it was all a dream.

I didn't have a wound on my shoulder, either. All I could think about was Dad's face when he was about to be killed. He looked shocked, stunned, and surprised, all in one. He was sorrowful, I saw it in his eyes. His dark green eyes had bored into mine, just as I had whispered "I'm sorry".

I turned my attention back to Toothless. I patted his head reassuringly, smiling softly at my companion. _"~Don't worry, it was just a dream~,"_ I explained.

He nodded. _"~Alright. Are you okay now? What was it about?~"_

I sighed. _"~I'm fine…. And it was about us being back on Berk. These… men attacked us, and I was stabbed by one of them. And then… I saw him: Dad. He whispered my name, and I…~."_ I trailed off, frowning in thought. Suddenly, I snapped my head up. _"~I think Berk might be having more trouble than they know.~"_

Toothless smirked, as far as dragons could smirk. _"~What're you gonna do about it?~"_ he asked.

I shrugged. _"~Probably something stupid.~"_

 _"~You do that all the time~,"_ he rolled his eyes. _"~Try again.~"_

I smirked. _"~Then something crazy.~"_

 _"~Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner!~"_ he joked.

I climbed out of bed, quickly pulling some clothes on and racing out the door. I hurriedly made my way to the kitchen, Toothless following my lead. He trotted behind me, looking around warily. I was glad to have a friend like Toothless. He could be pretty funny, protective, loyal, and kind.

"Guys!" I called.

"Over here!" I heard Minx respond.

I bolted towards the voice, finding myself in the kitchen. I saw Mom standing at the counter, chopping up some food. Minx, Ryker, and Audun were seated at the table, and Jake was leaning against Shadow on the floor. "Guys, we need to talk," I sighed.

"Did something happen?" Mom asked worriedly.

"Well…." I glanced over to Toothless. "I had this nightmare… and it was where Berk was attacked. I think… there might be something wrong."

Mom frowned. "Honey, it was just a dream."

"I know…." I exhaled loudly. "But I really want to go back. I think I'm ready."

"Are you sure?" she asked. "It's only been four years."

"Only?" I scoffed. "I've grown, Mom. I'm older, I'm different, and I'm definitely ready."

She frowned, laying her hand on my shoulder. "I know that," she murmured lovingly. "But are you sure about this?" I nodded. "Fine. I'll make you a deal," she murmured. "If you still want to go back to Berk in a year, then we'll go."

I frowned. "Why this plan?"

"So that we know it isn't just a phase and that you'll regret going back later," she explained.

I sighed. A year seemed so far away from now. "Do I have to wait that long?" I sighed with frustration.

"Unfortunately, yes. I'm sorry, Hiccup… I just worry for you," she sighed, pulling me into an embrace. I smiled, quickly hugging her back. "I just don't want you making a mistake."

I nodded. "I got it, Mom. A year it is. And I promise, I'll be wanting to go back by then."

"We'll see," she smiled. "For now, how about you guys go outside and enjoy the sunshine?"

I glanced over to the others, who were now listening in on our conversation. "Sure," I muttered, waving for the others to follow me. They did, all getting to their feet and ambling towards me. I led the way to the outside of the nest, along with Toothless following behind me. Shadow came along as well, but the other dragons remained inside.

We walked in silence towards the shore. I sucked in a breath shakily, trying to soothe my nerves. I was pretty traumatized by that nightmare. I mean—Berk was my home… well, my old home. Sure, they didn't treat me right, but I can't just let them be destroyed… right? I still need to give them a chance to prove themselves to the dragons.

I hadn't noticed we had reached the beach until I looked down. I was a few feet from standing in the water. I turned back to the others, smiling at them. Jake walked over to me, patting my shoulder.

"Something up? Besides that dream?" he asked.

I frowned, shaking my head. "Besides the dream? No. But I have this hunch it means something," I groaned.

He nodded. "You know… I think there's something you guys should know," he spoke, loud enough for the others to hear. "I hate to be the bringer of bad news, but I need to tell you guys this. Can one of you get Valka?"

Shadow volunteered, pelting away to fetch Mom. I turned to Minx, Audun, and Ryker, who looked both curious and worried. "What's it about?" I asked.

"Hyra," he answered simply, waiting for Mom to arrive.

By the time she came jogging towards us, my curiosity was at a maximum. I could tell the others felt the same way. Mom slowed her pace, coming to a halt beside us.

"What's wrong, Jake?" she asked worriedly.

He sighed. "I guess I should start from the beginning." We nodded, slowly taking a seat on the damp sand. We all formed a circle, with Shadow and Toothless sitting off to the side.

"Alright, here's the deal," he murmured, loud enough for all of us to hear him. "One day, Shadow and I heard about this island. As you can probably tell, it was Hyra. We went to go check it out, when suddenly, this… wizard, per say, came out of nowhere. He tried cursing us, but we made it out just in time to avoid being cursed." We stared with wide eyes at him, shocked with the new information.

"So, when we were flying again, there was a storm. We were forced to land on Hyra again." He paused. "That same wizard appeared again, and this time didn't try to curse us. Instead, we had a civil conversation. He told us about the people stealing his home. Apparently the Vikings that discovered Hyra twenty years ago didn't know it was already home to a few people. When they discovered the wizard, they tried killing him. He managed to beat them, though, by cursing their dragons." We listened intently, along with Shadow and Toothless, whose ears were perked up.

Jake sighed. "Well, the curse was complicated. It basically cursed the dragons by making it so that if any of their dragons were to escape, they were to be killed."

"Wait," Audun interrupted. "We freed all their dragons. Does that mean they're dead now?"

Jake shook his head. "No, it isn't that simple. You see, when the wizard put the curse on them, he made it… complex. This is the complicated part. It depends on the dragon rescuers' situation. If they had bad intents for rescuing the dragons, then the village was to be spared. However, if they had good intents—which we did—they would be killed within a year to a five years. They would die a painful, slow death. The wizard explained the curse to me. He said for them to be killed, it would be as though their insides caught fire. It would be pure torture for them."

There was silence. And then, Minx asked, "Wait, then why did you help us?"

Jake shook his head again. "I didn't think it was a big deal. I thought it would be good if that village died. But now… when that guard screamed war at us, I see I should have stopped it. I'm sorry, I've doomed us all."

He stared down at his feet, sitting on the sand sadly. I frowned.

"You didn't know," I consoled. "That guard shouted it after we freed the dragons. There's no way you could have been able to know they would declare war on us."

"Exactly," Mom agreed. "It isn't your fault, Jake. Besides, they have no information on us besides rumors. We're safe."

"Yeah, but… when I heard about Hiccup's dream, I panicked. I think… I think Hyra knows more than they let on," he argued.

"How much do you think they know?" Ryker asked.

Jake sighed, shrugging. "I don't know. They may know about Hiccup's past, though."

"How?" I gasped.

"Because that wizard got captured," he frowned. "The wizard is a seer, meaning he can see into peoples' lives, past, present, and future."

"Wait… they're using him as a weapon?!" Minx exclaimed disbelievingly.

Jake nodded silently. "Yes, unfortunately. The curse he put on them cannot be erased. And so the Hyra members… they bring pure hell to that poor man."

"We could have rescued him when we freed the dragons," I suggested.

"No," Jake mumbled. "It would have been too risky. Plus, there's an enchantment on the prison. They used it with another wizard's magic."

"Oh…."

We exchanged glances, worried sick. Suddenly, I began panicking. "Wait, so if they know about my past… does that mean they will attack Berk?!"

Jake frowned, eyes narrowing slightly. "I don't know," he responded honestly. "It is definitely possible… I'm sorry, Hiccup."

I frowned, glaring down at my shoes.

"Well then… guess we'll have to start training," Mom suddenly spoke.

We all glanced up at her with confusion. "What do you mean?" Jake asked, brows furrowed.

She smiled. "Well, we have a war to win."

XXX

 **THANK YOU! I love all you guys' reviews!**

 **WANT MORE UPDATES? READ THIS!** – Ok, so in order for me to update, I NEED the decided pairing. PLEASE review and tell me which pairing you want. The reason I can't update is because if people choose the OC pairing with Hiccup, I need the OC to appear as soon as possible. Don't be shy! Just tell me which pairing you prefer: Hiccstrid, or Hiccup x OC. Thanks!

 **alon2442:** Uh… I had to use google translate for that lol. Thanks for the input!

 **Lilljo:** Alright, thanks! I see your point. I'm still counting up the votes and they're about even xD

 **SapphireBlueSea:** Thanks! Yeah, it seems run away stories have more OC pairings. Btw, SPOILER yes, Hyra is the enemy in the summary.

 **Hiccstrid456:** I was thinking something like that. Where maybe Hiccup's OC pairing dies or something, and then Astrid comforts him, blah blah, they live happily ever after xD

 **Angryhenry:** Yeah, same… don't tell my dad though o.o

 **FloratheToyKitten:** OH NOOOO CALM DOWN. I'M SURRY

 **Litwick723:** yeah, I was thinking the same thing! When Astrid's jealous it gets super interesting xD

 **Braggy:** That's actually a good idea… x3 thanks!


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Ok, wow. A LOT of you guys want Hiccstrid, so… here we go! Thanks sooo much you guys for voting so quickly. I was worried I wouldn't be able to update until later xD Thanks again! PS. Here's the pairings now: Hiccstrid (Hiccup x Astrid) AND OC x OC (Minx x Jake)**

 **Chapter Name:** Training

 **Chapter Summary:** The gang begins training for war.

 **Chapter Rating:** T, for violence and slight depression

 **Chapter Song:** Me, Myself and Time, by Demi Lovato

 **Pairings:** Eventual Hiccstrid (Hiccup x Astrid) and OC x OC (Minx x Jake)

 **Important notes:** This is an AU where Hiccup runs away after the beginning events in the first film. Berk will still have issues with dragons, even after Hiccup has left. Dragonese is spoken like this: "~italics and with symbols~" Regular Norse is "Just simple quotation marks"

 **WARNINGS:** Story includes violence and slight depression

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do NOT own How to Train Your Dragon, nor am I in any way associated with the movies.

XXX

"We have a war to win," Mom had said. We stared at her in shock, blinking quietly. And suddenly, Jake smiled broadly.

"Yeah we do," he agreed. "C'mon, we can win this thing!"

I hesitated, before nodding to signal I agreed. "Yeah, c'mon guys, we can do this!" I encouraged. Minx looked nervous, and Ryker and Audun looked slightly thoughtful. Finally, we all put our hands in the center, huddling closer together. We all cheered, clapping each other on the back and inspiring one another.

We raced back to the nest, instantly beginning to train. First, we sat at the kitchen table, a large piece of parchment spread across the table.

"Alright, here's the plan," Jake smirked. "When we go to Berk, all hell is going to break loose. We have to be prepared." Everyone nodded comprehendingly. "'Kay, now here's what we're gonna do. When Hyra attacks, Hiccup and the rest of you will lead an attack in the sky, by firing at the Hyra Vikings from above. I'll be below, helping to fight off the enemy by being grounded. Which one of you guys are best with sword fighting or combat on the ground?"

Minx shyly raised her hand. "I'm pretty good. I've been able to beat Audun and Ryker at the same time."

Jake nodded. "Good, then you can also help me on the ground. Shadow sticks with me though. He'll be intimidating to the enemy, which means they are more likely to retreat once they learn we have the dragons on our side."

"Got it," Mom nodded.

"Good. Now, someone has to take out the leader: Byda. He is a very large and strong man. He's known for being able to be sadistic and cold. He's definitely a big problem." We nodded, staring down at the big piece of parchment.

Jake began sketching with a charcoal stick, drawing a few shapes in the sky, which represented my team. Next, he drew Shadow, Minx, and him on the ground, fending off Hyra members. He then began drawing Mom, who was on Cloudjumper and her firing at one of the Hyra ships.

"Alright, Valka. You and Cloudjumper will be creating a distraction, by firing at the ships. Audun? You and Portal will also be doing this. Both of your dragons have a big shot limit. Make sure to use them wisely, though," he explained. "Now, do we have any other people that can help us?"

Mom smirked. "Well… we do have the White King," she smiled knowingly.

Jake cocked an eyebrow. "He'll help us?" She nodded. "Good. Then we can bring some more dragons with us to fend off the Hyra members."

Audun laughed. "Man, I can't believe we were so worried," he smiled. "We can totally win this thing!"

Jake frowned. "Don't get to confident yet," he warned. "Hyra has many powerful alliances. One being with a very large island."

"Which island?" I asked.

"One named Draakoo," he replied. **(A/N: It's pronounced Drack-ooo)**

"Draakoo?" Mom asked. "They used to be allies with Berk."

"Not anymore," he sighed. "The last time you were on Berk was nearly twenty years ago. By now lots of things have happened."

"Right," she sighed. "What other things do we need to know?"

"They have lots of prisoners," he elaborated. "Some are dragons and their riders, some are just regular Vikings, and some are just animals. Either way, they'll be using them alright."

We nodded, staring back down at the parchment paper. Jake turned back as well, pointing in certain places to explain the plan once more.

"Alright, Minx," he smirked. "Let's get started with training. The rest of you need to practice being airborne. I know every dragon is different, so try and figure out just how much juice your dragons has inside. Who knows, they may have more than what the rumors are."

We nodded. "Got it."

"Valka," Jake added. "You've been flying for over eighteen years. Teach them everything you know."

"Yes, sir," she nodded.

He smiled. "Good. We'll meet back up at dinner. For the rest of this year, we will be practicing every day. No exceptions."

We nodded. "Minx, come with me. You four begin training on dragons. We'll alternate training exercises each week. One week Minx and I will be practicing sword fighting. The next week, you guys will take our place, while we practice flying. We gotta make sure we are thoroughly prepared."

"Shouldn't we train the other dragons as well?" Ryker suggested.

"Yes," Jake nodded. "We will only train the strongest ones. The rest of the dragons will stay here, in case Hyra finds out about this nest."

We agreed, exchanging glances with an overly confident aura. "Good. Now go!" he ordered.

XXX

I strapped Toothless' saddle on, while Audun began talking to the White King about the battle ahead. I could hear their conversation vaguely, but decided not to snoop. Ryker climbed aboard his own dragon, Alter, and I followed his lead. Mom went back over to Audun, emphasizing some points of his speech to help convince the White King.

At last, I heard a grunt of approval come from the humongous beast. Mom and Audun came racing back, getting onto their own dragons. I took off into the air, the others following my lead. We clutched our dragons tightly, making sure not to fall off.

When we reached the outside of the nest, we began showing off our moves, telling Mom just how much we knew about flying. She nodded to us, giving words of approval. She also called to us to be careful, which we already knew, of course.

Next it was my turn. I whispered to Toothless, _"~Let's show them what we got!~"_ He nodded in agreement, surging forward. I heard his tailfin click, signaling it had moved into a different position. I smirked, quickly following Toothless' lead. He began doing barrel rolls, flips, and more. Despite the fact we were growing dizzy, we didn't let the others know. Instead, we kept going until our world spun.

"Wow," Mom smiled. "Great job!"

"Yeah, dude," Audun grinned. "That was awesome!"

"Thanks," I replied, turning back to face the others. Next, Mom was up.

She easily managed to maneuver around on Cloudjumper. In fact, she managed to stand up on his shoulders, walk across his wings, and plop down next to Audun on his own dragon, a Monstrous Nightmare named Portal.

When Mom was finished showing off, we all clapped. "Awesome!" Ryker exclaimed. We all agreed with him.

"Alright, first lesson," she began loudly, so that we could hear her over the whistling breeze. "Your grip. A lot of you guys were only gripping your dragons by the saddle. Make sure to be safe and hold on by not just holding onto the equipment, but onto the dragon itself. After all, what if the saddle falls off? So next time you guys fly, try holding on with your legs, feet, and arms."

I glanced down, wondering if I did that. Maybe she was talking about me? I then looked back up, seeing the others following my movements. They were also checking over themselves.

So we attempted to follow her instructions. Instead of just clutching the saddle, we began holding on by the sides of our dragons, with our legs wrapped tightly around them. To my surprise, it worked perfectly. I was able to do more spins without feeling as though I would fall off any second.

"Alright, guys!" she yelled over the noise of our dragons' wingbeats and the wind. "Let's head back inside and see how Jake and Minx are doing."

We nodded, letting Mom lead the way back towards the ice sanctuary. I followed right behind her, while the others trailed behind a bit farther away.

When we reached the inside, we climbed off our tired dragons and began feeding them. I made sure to give Toothless his favorite type of fish: salmon. Usually I only let him eat Perch, since they were more common and easier to catch, but since we had done great today I allowed him to eat salmon.

The group and I left our dragons to eat in the kitchen, heading towards the little fight room we had set up a little more than half a year back. I could vaguely make out the sound of swords clanging together, along with irritated shouts. I chuckled at the sound of Minx's frustration.

Finally we reached the inside of the fighting room. I watched in awe as Jake easily managed to avoid all of Minx's attacks. He either dodged or blocked them. Eventually he gave up and tagged her on the neck with the tip of his sword.

"Tag, you lose," he teased.

Minx groaned, throwing her head back in annoyance. I chuckled, earning their attention.

"Hey, guys," she greeted.

"Hey," Audun spoke up. "Everything going well here?"

"Yup," Jake answered. "Have you guys already finished for the day?"

"Yes," Mom answered. "I gave them some more tips and helped them with their dragon flying skills."

He nodded. "Good. We've been going at it for a while now. I guess Minx needs a break."

"Hey!" she protested. "You look just as tired as I do!"

He shrugged. "Yeah, but I don't complain about it," he laughed. She rolled her eyes, but couldn't contain the giggle that escaped her.

"So, we ready for dinner?" Ryker asked. We nodded. "Alright. I got dibs on cooking tonight!" he laughed.

We chuckled, allowing him to lead the way and prepare the meal. When we reached the table, we instantly dived into a conversation.

"Hey, Hiccup," Minx suddenly spoke.

"Hmm?" I hummed.

"What happened to that Red Death?" she asked curiously.

I frowned, looking back up to face them. They all looked curious. "Well, nothing really happened," I shrugged. "I didn't do anything to her. She's still alive and well."

"What?!" Ryker exclaimed from his spot at the counter. "You just left Berk to fend off those dragons?!"

I never thought of it like that, to be honest. Had I really been so oblivious that I left Berk to slowly dwindle into nothingness? "Er…." I trailed off, not sure how to answer.

"We've gotta do something!" Audun gasped.

"Calm down," Jake murmured. "Haven't they been handling the dragon raids for nearly three-hundred years? If so, we don't need to be so worried. If they could handle it then, they can handle it now."

"But, dude," Audun growled. "Lives have been lost from those raids!"

"Yeah," Minx agreed. "We can't just leave them to die!"

Jake sighed. "Then what do we do?"

I frowned, staring down at the table in thought. I began pondering over our choices. We could defeat the Queen, or leave Berk to fend for themselves. Surely that would be cruel to just let them deal with that, right? I couldn't let that happen. There were too many lives to be lost in those raids.

"We could kill the Red Death," I finally spoke.

They glanced at me in wonder, blinking slowly. "What?" Minx asked. "We can't just—"

"What other choice do we have?" I growled. "Berk may not be innocent, but they don't deserve to suffer."

Mom nodded. "Hiccup's right. But we need to be careful with this Red Death if she's as bad as he says."

They sighed, nodding slowly. "Fine," Audun groaned. "When do we leave?"

They all glanced back to me. "Er… I don't know," I answered lamely. They rolled their eyes.

"Some leader we've got," Ryker muttered sarcastically, handing everyone a plate of food.

"Hey!" I growled, earning a few laughs.

When we finished eating, we wished each other goodnight. I motioned for Toothless to come with me, which he did. We retreated to my bedroom, the both of us plopping into our own beds. I sighed in content, feeling the soft mattress below me bring comfort. I snuggled into my sheets, feeling myself drift into a deep slumber. One that was plagued with nightmares.

XXX

 **GAHHHH. Thanks sooo much everyone! Here's the replies:**

 **Transformers 0:** Alright, thanks for the vote! A lot of people are saying Hiccstrid, so that's the pairing I'm putting.

 **Braggy:** Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Minx and Jake are now added to the pairing section at the beginning of the chapter.

 **Ink Stained Paws:** Thanks!

 **FloratheToyKitten:** Awe, don't explode! D: Thanks though haha

 **Guest:** Mmk, thanks! :D

 **KiddBit:** Woo! Thank you!

 **Dragonchick101:** That's a great idea! Thank youuu!

 **FelicitousVixen:** Kk, Hiccstrid it is! :D Thanks

 **Guest:** Wow, that's a long review lol. And yeah, I know, I need to include him losing his leg. I was planning on it happening BEFORE he returns to Berk. Thanks! And PS, I don't judge xD


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Ok guys, I need criticism. Give me all you got! I'm trying to perfect my writing (which is hard seeing as I'm barely even a teenager XD) and I need tips and responses. Tell me what to fix, give me ideas for a plot, tell me what you want in this story. For example, tell me if I'm speeding things up, going too slow, and so on. Or if I'm having some grammar issues, just tell me. I don't mind. Just try not to be too mean… I'm fragile xD Anyways, here's the next chapter!**

 **Chapter Name:** The Nest – Part One

 **Chapter Summary:** After another traumatizing nightmare, Hiccup manages to convince the gang to leave for the Nest. They then began planning their attack against the Red Death.

 **Chapter Rating:** T, for violence and slight depression

 **Chapter Song:** Me, Myself and Time, by Demi Lovato

 **Pairings:** Eventual Hiccstrid (Hiccup x Astrid) and OC x OC (Minx x Jake)

 **Important notes:** This is an AU where Hiccup runs away after the beginning events in the first film. Berk will still have issues with dragons, even after Hiccup has left. Dragonese is spoken like this: "~italics and with symbols~" Regular Norse is "Just simple quotation marks"

 **WARNINGS:** Story includes violence and slight depression

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do NOT own How to Train Your Dragon, nor am I in any way associated with the movies.

XXX

 _I was back on the battlefield, right where my last dream ended. I gasped, looking up only to see Dad hunching over. He was struggling to stay conscious, and he looked weak and defeated. Never before have I ever seen my father appear so… defenseless._

 _My eyes widened in shock. I knew what was about to happen. By the way Byda, the Hyra leader, held his sword up in the air. By the way the others looked stunned. The Hyra members looked triumphant, while the Berkians looked saddened and helpless._

 _"No!" I shouted, rushing to my feet. I remember the pain coming from my shoulder. It was so vivid, as if it was all real. Could it be? Maybe this was a dream of the future? I could tell I was dreaming. I wasn't sure how, but I just knew it. I tried pinching myself to wake up, but it didn't work._

 _I clutched my left shoulder tightly, trying to keep myself from bleeding out. I cried out in agony, before continuing to race towards Dad. Byda was now swinging the sword down towards Dad, coming in contact with his neck._

 _"NO!" I screamed. Byda just laughed manically, sending shivers down my spine. I anxiously watched as Dad's newly-made wound instantly killed him. I fell to my knees, reaching towards him with shaky hands. I patted Dad's shoulder, as if trying to wake him up. It didn't work. He still lay there in utter silence. The tense air was thick enough to cut through with a simple word or two._

 _I felt tears spring to my eyes, falling freely down my cheeks. I felt the Hyra members laugh at my sadness, only edging me further and further towards my breaking point._

 _And suddenly, Gobber was there. He ambled towards me, staring at me with wide eyes. "Hiccup?" he asked. I just nodded. "Why didn't you come sooner?!" he shouted. "You could have saved us from disaster! But instead you waited and led us straight to Hel."_

 _I sobbed harder, shaking my head. "I'm sorry," I whimpered. He just stormed off, creating thuds as his feet (well, one foot and peg leg) clashed against the ground. I slowly peeled my eyes open, only to see Byda staring down at me with a devious smirk._

 _He lifted his sword into the air higher, preparing to end my life. And when it came in contact with my body, I jolted awake._

XXX

I gasped loudly, sweat falling from my skin. I sat upright instantly, making myself slightly dizzy from such quick movements. I could feel another liquid on my cheeks, and it wasn't sweat. I could taste salt and warmth, indicating they were teardrops.

I shook my head, wiping away the tears and sweat from my face. From a couple feet away I heard sounds of rustling. Next were footsteps that grew closer and closer. I lifted my head, to be met with emerald-green eyes.

"Toothless, I'm okay," I sighed, shaking my head and staring back down at my covers.

 _"~I know you're not~,"_ he sighed.

I closed my eyes, laying back in bed. My clothes stuck to my body with sweat, as if it were an adhesive. I felt overheated and exhausted from crying and tossing in my sleep. My muscles ached for some reason, and I could distinctly remember the dream I witnessed just moments ago.

 _"~We've gotta go back to Berk~,"_ I frowned. _"~Before I go crazy, that is.~"_

He nodded. _"~Don't worry, Hiccup. I'll try and convince the other dragons. Besides, we need to help train the other dragons.~"_

I nodded. _"~Yeah, okay. Thanks, bud.~"_

He smiled his gummy smile. _"~No problem, brother.~"_

I slowly climbed out of my bed, throwing on some simple clothes since I was hot and sweaty. I didn't want to ruin my armor anyways.

I ran a hand through my auburn hair, a habit I had formed a couple years ago. I usually did it when I was anxious or stressed. I guess that really suited this situation right now.

I headed towards the main sanctuary, where I found part of the group up and running about. Minx was once again battling against Jake, while their dragons sat off to the side in a conversation. Next was Audun, who was conversing with Mom. Their expressions revealed it all: they were talking about something serious. I couldn't help but wonder what it was.

"Hey guys!" I greeted.

Their replies were simple responses, which made me frown. They must be overly busy. Suddenly, Ryker came over with his armor on. "Hey, Hiccup," he murmured, placing a hand on my shoulder. "You okay?"

I shook my head. "No. I keep wanting to go back to Berk, but…." I sighed, glancing down at the ground. "I don't know what to do."

Suddenly, Mom was there. She smiled at me endearingly, wrapping her arm around my shoulders. "Hiccup… we were thinking…." She hesitated, which only fueled my curiosity. "It would be much easier to train with the Berkians. And… we think it would be better to just go now and train all of the Vikings there."

I blinked slowly, barely registering the news. And suddenly, like a bomb, I went off. "Yes! Thank you!" I exclaimed, cheering loudly.

They all chuckled at my excitement, which I couldn't blame them for. "Did you have another nightmare or something?" Jake asked worriedly.

"Yeah," I breathed out. "It was worse than the first one. But now that we're going back to Berk… I should be fine."

They nodded. "Alright, then what're we waiting for?!" Minx exclaimed with a laugh. "Let's go!"

I scurried off to my room, Toothless racing behind me. I began slipping my armor back on, since I had managed to cool off a little. Plus, I needed it in case we ran into trouble.

After getting dressed, I packed up a few of my belongings. I placed them in a satchel of mine, swinging it over my shoulder to hold it in place. I then stashed away a few weapons in my armor, which consisted of a couple knives.

Toothless was nudging my hand. I smiled down at the Night Fury, patting his head. _"~What is it?~"_ I asked.

 _"~Are you going to reveal yourself to the Vikings?~"_ he asked. _"~Or are you going to wait?~"_

I frowned. _"~I was just going to reveal myself. Why? Should I wait?~"_

 _"~To be honest, yes, I would wait.~"_

 _"~Why?~"_ I asked curiously.

He sighed. _"~Because we need to make sure that if the Hyra members don't hear about you being back on Berk. If they did, we'd definitely doom Berk.~"_

I once again ran a hand through my hair, seeing his point. _"~You're right~,"_ I growled. _"~Alright, I guess I'll keep my identity a secret.~"_

He nodded, then left the room. I sighed, sitting down on my bed for a moment. I was going to miss this place. Would I even make it back here alive? What if the Hyra members killed me? And all of Berk? And the gang? I can't let that happen!

I shot back up to my feet, racing out the door. I headed towards the main sanctuary once more, to see Minx already standing there with a stuffed bag full of clothes and medical supplies. I set my satchel down on the ground beside her, causing her head to snap towards me.

"You excited?" she asked.

"Yup," I sighed. "A bit worried, though."

She shrugged. "I would be too. Don't worry, it'll be fine. We'll kick that Red Death's ass."

I smiled at her encouragement. "Thanks, Minx," I grinned to her. She chuckled. "By the way… I was thinking, maybe I shouldn't reveal myself."

She frowned. "Why not?" she asked.

"It was Toothless' idea. We need to make sure they trust us first, and that they won't freak out."

"Wouldn't it be easier if you showed who you are?" she asked. "I mean, that way they'll be easier to convince. I bet they really miss you."

I snorted. "Yeah, miss me. Last I checked they wanted me gone."

She shook her head. "They didn't know what they were missing out on," she smiled. "You're an amazing person, Hiccup. Don't worry, everything will work out."

I nodded, sucking in a breath then exhaling heavily. "Alright, thanks," I responded. She just nodded.

Next came Audun and Ryker, along with their dragons. They greeted us with a wave, then began going over a plan with the Red Death.

"Once Jake and Valka get here, I'll explain the plan I went over with Audun," Ryker explained. I nodded.

Within the next few minutes, Jake and Shadow arrived. Jake didn't really have any luggage, besides a small bag that most likely held coins or money for the trip. Next came Mom, with Cloudjumper at her heels.

"Alright guys," Ryker began. "We have a plan for the Red Death. Audun and Portal will shoot at the Red Death's wings, since his Monstrous Nightmare has a big shot limit." Next, he turned to Mom and Cloudjumper. "You two will try and anger the Red Death, and to make sure it stays distracted. You're great with balance and flying, so you should be able to avoid her blows."

Next was my turn. Ryker turned to me, then spoke, "Hiccup, you and Toothless will then lead the Red Death into the clouds and remain hidden. Only do this once Audun gives the signal that Portal has run out of her shot limit. Once he gives the signal, which will be a roar from Portal, then you will keep yourself hidden in the clouds, shooting at the wings. Next you'll lead the Red Death to the ground, but move at the last minute so that she crashes into the ground."

I nodded, going over the plan in my head. "Minx, Zander, you guys will get all the dragons to safety. Make sure to check inside the nest for hidden dragons, just to be safe. Got it?" he asked. Minx nodded.

"Good. I'll be on the ground, stabbing the beast on its paws and legs. This way it will make her difficult to move around and dodge the blasts from your dragons. Jake, Shadow?" They perked up, signaling they were listening. "You two will be backup. If anyone needs help with their job, you go help them."

Once we finished planning out our strategy, Ryker turned back to us. "Everyone get the idea?"

"Yeah!" we all cheered.

He smiled. "Good, now let's go!"

We all climbed onto our dragons, springing into the air and soaring out of the nest. I glanced back to check the other riders were following behind me, which they were. I was to lead the way to the nest, since I knew where it was.

We flew in utter silence. I was growing anxious, despite our thoroughly planned out attack. What if we got ourselves killed? And no one even knew who saved Berk? What if our fight was futile? And the Red Death survived?

I quickly shook my head, turning back to focus on the sky. I felt Toothless purr below me, as if trying to comfort me. I sighed, leaning back to relax my aching back. I tried relaxing my tense muscles, but to no avail. I was just too worried.

By now the sun was slowly starting to set. The sky had turned into hues of pink, purple, and crimson. I watched in awe as the clouds reflected the colors, turning from white to pink and red. Thankfully the sun was still up, meaning we would still be able to see. It would be suicide going into battle blind.

I continued leading the group towards the Nest. I was in the very front, while the others followed behind me. I could hear faster wingbeats, meaning someone was growing closer to me. I glanced over my right shoulder, only to see Jake and Shadow.

"Hey," he called over the noise. "You nervous?"

"Yeah," I responded.

"Good," he smirked. "I didn't want to be the only one."

I rolled my eyes. "Gee, thanks for the support," I muttered sarcastically. He heard it anyways, causing him to laugh.

Suddenly, our dragons began perking up. I patted Toothless' head, realizing we must be close to the Nest.

"We're close!" I informed the others. "Keep your dragons under control! The Red Death can sometimes order them around!"

They nodded, murmuring a string of encouraging words to their dragons to soothe them. It seemed to work, because within a couple more moments I spotted a distant island. I mentally cheered, glad I had managed to lead us towards the Nest safely. Now the only problem was getting out alive.

XXX

 **Thanks for all the support guys! Whoops, only two reviews from the last chapter XD oh well.**

 **MMM:** I don't wanna spoil anything xD Although you probably already know the answer.

 **Braggy:** Dang it, I should have read this before I updated. x.x sorry…. Lol. But the White King/Valka's Bewilderbeast will be fighting the Hyra members.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: EEEEEEEP! 62 reviews! Thanks guys!**

 **Chapter Name:** The Nest – Part Two

 **Chapter Summary:** The gang begins battling the Red Death.

 **Chapter Rating:** T, for violence and slight depression

 **Chapter Song:** Me, Myself and Time, by Demi Lovato

 **Pairings:** Eventual Hiccstrid (Hiccup x Astrid) and OC x OC (Minx x Jake)

 **Important notes:** This is an AU where Hiccup runs away after the beginning events in the first film. Berk will still have issues with dragons, even after Hiccup has left. Dragonese is spoken like this: _"~italics and with symbols~"_ Regular Norse is "Just simple quotation marks"

 **WARNINGS:** Story includes violence and slight depression

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do NOT own How to Train Your Dragon, nor am I in any way associated with the movies.

XXX

When we landed on the gravelly ground at the Nest, I began growing anxious. I fiddled with my thumbs, nervously looking around. Would we make it out alive? I ran a hand through my auburn tresses, hoping to somehow calm down. It didn't work.

"Alright, guys," Jake grinned. "Ready to kick some ass?"

We all nervously laughed. "Yeah," we hesitantly responded.

Jake rolled his eyes. "C'mon, give me your Viking faces!"

"ARGHHHHH!" we joked. He chuckled.

"That's more like it."

"Everyone remember the plan?" Ryker asked.

How could we not remember it? In fact, the plan was all I could think about. I just kept going over the plan again and again, too scared to not do so. What if I screwed up my job? What if I jeopardized all our lives?

Suddenly, I felt someone's hand lay across my shoulder. I smiled, turning to see Mom. "Hiccup, don't worry," she smiled. "We can do this. We're strong, especially when we work together."

I sighed, letting out a breath I didn't know I was holding hostage. "Alright, you're right. Thanks, Mom."

She nodded, turning back to Cloudjumper. She leaped onto his back, flying into the air. Next, we followed her lead, flying into the nest to gain the Red Death's attention. The dragons that overlooked us widened their eyes at the sight of humans in their home.

I led the way to the center of the Nest, since I had been here before. I held out a hand to the others, signaling for them to stop. They did, their dragons immediately slowing their pace to a halt. Suddenly, I shouted, "Come on out, Queen!"

I heard a roar of surprise come from the foggy depths of the Nest. I frowned, eyes narrowed into slits as a ginormous head slowly edged out of the hole. The others gasped, realizing just how accurate my description was of the Red Death.

The Queen snapped her jaws at us, as if attempting to scare us off. I wasn't backing away, though. I was determined to save my old friends. Well, not that I had any back on Berk. They still didn't deserve to suffer, though.

The Red Death shot up out of her hiding spot, once again snapping her jaws to try and threaten us. I smirked, realizing the plan was working. She was already climbing out of her Nest, approaching us steadily.

"We'll all fly in one place!" I shouted to the others. "Follow me!" I urged Toothless to turn around, which he did. He took off in the opposite direction of the Queen, hoping that she was following us. The gang followed after me, their dragons struggling to keep up (besides Jake and Shadow, of course).

I could hear the crashing of the Red Death's paws smashing against the ground. She was following us. So I picked up the pace a little, leading the way out of the Nest and praying to whatever God was out there that this plan would work.

The other dragons that were kept in the caves of their home watched in awe. Never before had they seen someone brave enough to threaten their leader. Yet here we are, about to battle the giant beast.

Eventually we managed to reach the opening in the Nest. I motioned for the others to keep following me. They obliged, and I could still hear their dragons' wingbeats trying to keep up with Toothless'. I smiled in relief, glad to see the plan was working so far.

I could hear frantic shouts come from behind me, so I turned to see Minx and Zander falling behind. The Red Death began sucking in air, preparing to blow fire at the two. Before anyone could react, Jake and Shadow swooped towards them, knocking them towards the left to avoid the fiery blast.

I cheered for Jake and Shadow, making the man smile. Minx and Zander sighed in relief, from what I could see. I could make out the way Minx's lips moved: "Thank you, Jake!" I grinned, tapping Toothless' sides with my heels to make him go faster. I felt his heart beating wildly, trying to keep up with his pace. His wings flapped harder, making him propel himself forward.

The others managed to catch up. By now we had reached the outside of the Nest, with the Queen following behind us. She broke free of the rock wall guarding the nest. She roared in fury, and from where I was, I could see wings. They were ginormous, thanks to her size. I couldn't believe my eyes. I hadn't imagined her to be this big! Could she even fly?

I stood off to the side with Toothless as Audun and Portal began their job. They flew as quickly as they could, firing randomly at the leader's body. She snarled in anger, breathing fire towards Audun and Portal. They just barely managed to dodge.

Next, Mom and Cloudjumper were up. She began trying to distract the Red Death, by flying in front of her mockingly. I watched in panic as the Red Death prepared to breathe fire again, but Mom and Cloudjumper managed to easily avoid the blow. I sighed in relief, grateful for both of their agility.

From the distance I could see Minx and Zander trying to ward off any other dragons. She was waving at them, trying to scare them off. It seemed to work, because the dragons began flying away. She began to shoo away the reptiles, hoping to protect them.

I turned my focus back to Mom and Cloudjumper, who were still managing to distract the Red Death. I smirked Mom's confidence, chuckling at her rude remarks to the tyrant.

A roar abruptly came from Portal. I gasped, realizing this was my moment. I had to do this right—or I could be risking all of our lives. So I climbed back onto Toothless, and we shot into the air.

"Good luck!" I heard them shout. I thanked them, although they couldn't hear me, and began shooting a single plasma blast at the Red Death. It struck her face, earning an ear-shattering cry of pain. I smirked, yelling incoherent things to her to try and catch her attention.

Next thing I know, she's flapping her wings. I smirked, realizing I had gotten my part to work. I called to Toothless, _"~Alright, bud. Time to disappear!~"_

 _"~You got it!~"_ he replied.

We soared higher into the air, hoping to get the Queen to follow us. She did. Her wings seemed to creak from effort, and I could see minor rips on the ends of her wings. I mentally cheered, seeing that it should be easier to shoot at her from above.

She easily kept up with us, beginning to shoot forward and snap her jaws at Toothless' tail. I patted his head, trying to encourage him more. "C'mon, bud!" I urged.

The Red Death was now right behind us. If she moved about a yard, she would be capable of biting Toothless' tail off. So I then figured it was time to disappear into the clouds.

 _"~Let's go!~"_ I shouted. Toothless complied without hesitation, flying higher towards the dark clouds. We remained hidden, trying to gain the element of surprise. When the Queen broke through the stone-gray clouds, she looked around wildly, not able to see us. I smirked, patting my Night Fury's shoulder.

It was as though we were one. The way I controlled his tailfin, the way I felt his heart beat proudly. I could feel his muscles move, along with the way he breathed and panted. When he roared or purred, I could feel the vibration ricochet and cause me to laugh at the strange feeling.

We began firing at the Red Death, hoping to destroy her wings. I counted Toothless' shots, making sure to stay within his shot limit. I felt his throat heat up from the blast building from his throat. I shifted slightly, which helped him shoot at the left wing of the Queen.

The Red Death began roaring in agony. Her wings were about to give out, and I could tell she must have been exhausted from all the effort she was putting into fighting.

 _"~Surrender now and you will be spared!~"_ I called to her.

She snapped her head in our direction, breathing fire towards us. We managed to avoid the flames, much to my relief.

 _"~Never!~"_ she snarled, once again breathing fire.

This time the fiery gas came in contact with us. It didn't burn us, but it definitely got onto Toothless' artificial tailfin. "Uh oh," I groaned. "Time's up. Hopefully this works."

We began turning back to the large beast, hoping to lead her to the ground. She followed without hesitation. I smirked, but it vanished from my face once I realized how exhausted Toothless was.

"C'mon, buddy, just a little longer," I urged. He nodded, panting heavily.

We dived towards the ground, quickly descending towards the gravelly nest. She followed us quickly, gaining on us without any signs of effort. I growled under my breath, but nonetheless began conjuring up an idea.

 _"~Hold, Toothless~,"_ I ordered.

He frowned, appearing confused. Nonetheless, he slowed his pace. I heard the Red Death inhaling deeply, preparing to suck us into her deadly jaws. I then pivoted on Toothless, turning him around. "NOW!" I bellowed. He seemed to get the memo, because he gathered up the fire in his throat and shot it at the Queen's mouth. It landed directly inside of her, earning a snarl and roar.

Her wings began ripping open, creating large holes and tears. I felt Toothless and I be tossed to the side, just to avoid the Red Death crashing into the ground.

The tail of her body began swooping up. The fire was building up around us, creating a blazing inferno. I began panicking, and from below me I could see Toothless felt the same. I felt the heat on my body, making me sweat and my body protest in agony. The temperature was rising higher and higher, which caused my worries to skyrocket.

And then, suddenly, her tail was coming at us. "No," I cried. It came closer and closer, preparing to slam into us. "NO!" I screamed, but it didn't do anything. Instead, I felt pain overcome me, as the spikes on her tail slammed into the both of us.

I began plummeting into the fire, with Toothless following after me. My eyes began shutting, despite my constant attempts to reopen them. It was to no avail; I was falling into unconsciousness.

 _'So this is how I'll die,'_ I thought, before completely blacking out.

XXX

Ash fell from the sky, creating a snow-like environment. A certain mother was panicking. Her son was missing, and nowhere to be found. Where was he? He should have survived! He defeated the Red Death! How could he be dead?

"Hiccup!" Valka cried out. "Son!" she tried again.

Minx, Audun, Ryker, and Jake followed after the worried parent. They glanced around frantically, hoping to somehow find the young man. It was no use—they couldn't find him anywhere! Their dragons looked depressed and worried. Even Shadow came off as saddened. He couldn't bear the thought of Toothless and Hiccup dying. He definitely didn't appear nice with the other Night Fury, but he still respected him. He would miss his frenemy.

"Hiccup!" the gang kept shouting.

Valka was crying by now. Her son, her only child, was dead because he did what was right. He protected Berk from destruction, and this is how he was repaid. She couldn't accept the thought of Hiccup being killed. Surely they just hadn't found him yet, right?

Suddenly, Minx exclaimed, "Over here!"

They immediately perked up, racing towards the scene. There was Toothless, but where was Hiccup? Valka looked around, spotting Toothless' saddle. But it was empty. There was no rider seated on the leather saddle. His fake tailfin had been destroyed as well, and she couldn't see it anywhere.

Toothless shifted, groaning in pain. Valka collapsed to her knees, just like the rest of the gang. Minx was sobbing, but was soon comforted by Jake. He pulled her into his arms, shushing her and running a hand through her hair.

Toothless abruptly woke up. He slowly peeled his emerald-green eyes open, shocked to see his family gathered around him. He crooned softly, hoping to catch their attention. They glanced up, while they all appeared saddened and worried sick.

"Oh, Hiccup," Valka whispered. "I'm so sorry."

Toothless frowned, understanding the words "Hiccup" and "So sorry". He slowly lifted his head, unraveling his wings. He slowly unfolded his bat-like wings, only to reveal a battered and bruised Hiccup.

"Hiccup!" Valka exclaimed. She surged forward, grabbing her son tightly. She rested her ear against his chest, to hear his heart beating faintly. She cried out in relief. "He's alive!" she cried out, earning cheers. "You brought him back to life!"

Toothless grinned his gummy smile, hoping to cheer them up. They chuckled, while Valka began repeating her thank you over and over again. Toothless purred, happy to see he had been able to save his rider.

"Thank you, Toothless," she smiled. "For saving my son."

"Well, ya know," Jake shrugged. "Most of him."

XXX

 **Yay! Fluff and happiness! :D Here's the review replies: (and thanks for a bunch of them, by the way!)**

 **Braggy:** Er… I kinda used all your ideas before reading this lol. Sorry, and thanks for the suggestions! :)

 **RainbowToasterCake:** Nah, Berk won't be attacking at the same time… as you've probably noticed by now XD But Hiccup will be returning to Berk when I skip ahead like a year or two.

 **FelicitousVixen:** Omg thanks! :D I love when people say things like this.

 **TomBoyBookGirl:** Thank you! Here's an update!


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: already 70 reviews? Thanks guys! Here's another chapter for all of you!**

 **Chapter Name:** The Ceremony

 **Chapter Summary:** A year and a half has passed—Hiccup decides it's time to go home. Meanwhile, on Berk, a particular heir is about to be named chief….

 **Chapter Rating:** T, for violence and slight depression

 **Chapter Song:** Me, Myself and Time, by Demi Lovato

 **Pairings:** Eventual Hiccstrid (Hiccup x Astrid) and OC x OC (Minx x Jake)

 **Important notes:** This is an AU where Hiccup runs away after the beginning events in the first film. Berk will still have issues with dragons, even after Hiccup has left. Dragonese is spoken like this: _"~italics and with symbols~"_ Regular Norse is "Just simple quotation marks"

 **WARNINGS:** Story includes violence and slight depression

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do NOT own How to Train Your Dragon, nor am I in any way associated with the movies.

XXX

Life is good. Almost a year-and-a-half has passed since the battle with the Red Death, and I love life. When I lived on Berk I was never this free. I was never this happy, excited, and loved. Yet something was urging me to return to Berk. I still have nightmares every now and then, but I haven't had one about Berk in about two months.

You're probably wondering what happened after the battle with the Red Death. Well, I woke up to Toothless, and I couldn't feel my left shin. Turns out I made it out alive from that battle, but I certainly didn't go without a scar or two. I had a portion of my left leg. I guess Toothless and I were even now.

I've already gotten used to my prosthetic. I made it myself, with the help of Jake of course! Speaking of Jake, he's been getting close with Minx. They hang out and chat all the time. I'm pretty sure there's something going on there. I haven't noticed them confessing their feelings to one another, but I'm positive they have mutual feelings.

It's time. I just know it is. It's time for me to go back home. How will Dad react? Will he accept me back? Or cast me out? Would I see Astrid again?

I began stuffing random items into my satchel, preparing to leave for Berk. I heard someone clear their throat behind me, causing me to turn to face them. It was Mom.

"Hey, Mom," I greeted, but continued packing.

"What're you doing, Hiccup?" she asked.

"Packing," I replied distractedly. "I want to go back to Berk."

From where I was, I could see her frown out of the corner of my eyes. "Hiccup, I… I think it would be best if you did," she finally agreed.

I shot up, bolting over to her like an excited child. "Really?" I asked.

"Yes," she laughed. "So long as you bring the others."

"Of course!" I exclaimed.

She nodded, smiling at me softly. "Good. Now go!" she laughed.

I chuckled with her, before taking my satchel and exiting the room. Toothless padded behind me, looking nervous, yet excited. I smiled at him. _"~Don't worry, Toothless. They won't hurt us~,"_ I assured him.

 _"~It's not the Vikings I'm worried about~,"_ he muttered.

I rolled my eyes, but patted him on the shoulder. I led the way to the main sanctuary, where everyone but Mom was hanging out.

"Hey, guys!" I greeted.

They perked up, reaching forward in envelop me in a hug. "What's with the affection, guys?" I asked with a light laugh.

"We heard you talking to Valka," Minx smiled. "So, you're heading back to Berk?"

I nodded excitedly. "Yes! You guys are going, right?"

"Pfft," Jake scoffed. "Of course we are! We can't let our little leader get mauled by Vikings, now can we?"

I playfully shoved him, which made him chuckle. "So, when are we leaving?" Ryker asked.

"As soon as possible!" I exclaimed.

"Good," Mom piped up, entering the sanctuary. "You guys can leave in the morning."

"You're not coming with us?" Audun frowned.

"No," she sighed. "I've got to help with this place. Plus, I can train some of the dragons for the upcoming war."

Over the last year and a half, we've been training quite often. I could now fight much better, and my flying skills had improved as well. The others were building muscle, just like me. I wasn't really scrawny anymore. In fact, I had that "lean but mean" look, as Audun put it. All in all, life's been fantastic.

"Fine," I groaned. "But you'll have to go back there someday, right?"

She nodded. "Yes, Hiccup, I'll go back someday."

"Good," I smiled. "Well, I'm already packed, so… are you guys gonna be ready by the morning?"

They nodded. "Yup," Jake answered. "I don't really have much to pack."

"Same!" the other three chipped in.

I nodded. "Awesome!" I cheered. "I can't wait to go back to Berk!"

"Dude, don't hurt yourself," Ryker teased.

I chuckled lightly, but otherwise ignored his joke.

XXX

Back on Berk, the raids had stopped. One day, the dragons just stopped attacking the village. The Vikings were confused as to why, until they heard rumors of the leader of the Bonded taking down the Nest. Was he responsible for Berk's safety?

Astrid was still heir to the Hairy Hooligan tribe, and Stoick was still chief. Snotlout still flirted continuously with Astrid, but she always either ignored him, or socked him in the jaw. The twins had become less destructive, which shocked all of Berk. Ruffnut and Tuffnut didn't fight as often anymore, but they still did quite a lot of damage.

Ruffnut and Fishlegs were a couple. They always went on cute dates and did adorable things for one another. The village was satisfied to see the two happy.

Astrid, however, was still single. She hadn't gotten over Hiccup's death, and she certainly didn't want to. She denied every offer she got to date someone. She was also trying to concentrate on her heir tasks. After all, she was next in line to be chief. She couldn't just throw that all away by dating someone… right?

Snotlout was still offended for not being chosen as heir in Astrid's place. After all, he was the perfect Viking for the job, right? He was strong, buff, well-built, and persistent. However, what he didn't know, was that he lacked intelligence. He just about never thought things through, and all his plans in the past had failed.

After the Bonded managed to escape two and a half years ago, the Vikings have been even more angered. They were so close to capturing those traitors! Who dared to ride on the back of a monster? A beast?

Within the last few days, though, Berk had been hearing even more rumors. They were tales of the Bonded freeing Hyra's dragons. Hyra was one of Berk's strongest allies, so Berk had faith in the Hyra tribe. They were still oblivious to Hyra knowing of Hiccup's past, present, and future.

Hyra kept it a secret, though, that they had been cursed. The wizard was still constantly being guarded in the prison, and so far no one had made any moves to try and rescue the elderly man. Hyra was a strong group of Vikings. They were mysterious, tough, and brutal to their enemies. To their allies, though, they were reliable and trustworthy.

Berk didn't suspect a thing. They thought Hyra was one of their closest allies. After all, Hyra had given them gifts, respect, and not a single reason for Berk to disprove of their loyalty. Everything was perfect.

Astrid had been plagued with nightmares and strange dreams. She couldn't stop thinking of the Bonded's leader, the man in the black scaled hoodie. He had managed to defeat her in battle, and yet he didn't do anything about it. He simply released her, shoved her back to her father, and went on his own way.

Astrid had her whole future laid out for her. After all, one wise woman once told her that the man she would marry would be the man that could beat her in a fight. Only one person had managed to do so: the Bonded's leader.

Everyone had been surprised when he had managed to top her in a fight. She could still remember the day so vividly. When the black-scaled man held his dagger to her throat, but didn't press it into her flesh. When her father spluttered for words, when her tribe-mates were speechless. Everyone was surprised.

But today was a very special day. The sun was shining, the clouds appeared fluffy and white, while the sky was a soft shade of blue. Birds chirped from their perches in the trees, and the skies were free of dragons. Nothing was wrong.

Today was important to one specific tribe. The Hairy Hooligans tribe. Today would be the day that Stoick would retire, and let Astrid take his place. Today was also the marking point of exactly five and a half years since Hiccup was killed.

The Vikings were gathered outside, a large crowd cheering on their heir, soon to be chief. Said heir, Astrid Hofferson, was dressed formally. Her parents were gushing at her, thrilled to have their daughter take her rightful place at the throne of Berk. Her mother was crying, and Astrid had to help her wipe away the tears. Her father wasn't crying like the mother, but he was still just as excited. He hugged his daughter tightly, whispering simple words into her ears: _"I'm so proud of you."_

Those were the words Astrid had been waiting to hear her whole life. After many years of training, and many mistakes and cons, she had managed to get through it. She was a grown woman now. She was not just a shield maiden, but the heir, nearly the chief, of Berk.

Astrid quickly pushed her tears back, swallowing the lump in her throat. She wasn't going to cry. No, this was her big day. Why should she cry over it? She was about to be named chief of the Hairy Hooligan tribe.

The blonde was sucking in deep breaths, trying to keep her anxiety at a minimum. She was panicking. What if she tripped and fell? Or hesitated too long? Or spoke the wrong verse of the ceremony? Maybe she would lead her tribe into disaster?

 _'No!'_ she told herself. _'I will do this! I can do this.'_

She exhaled slowly, before turning back to the crowd. All the Vikings were dressed appropriately, and looked up at her in anticipation. The young woman smiled nervously, before stepping up onto the stage. She walked as gracefully as she could, hoping to appear confident, as though she was doing this effortlessly. But if anything, she was putting quite a large amount of effort into each step she took.

The audience began cheering, which comforted Astrid. She smiled softly, continuing to amble towards the center of the stage. She spotted her parents standing off to the side in the crowd, looking proud and tearful.

She turned back to face the elder, Gothi, and her chief, Stoick. Gothi was to perform the ceremony, while Stoick was, well, of course there since he was about to retire from his position as the leader of the Hairy Hooligan tribe.

Astrid came to a halt in front of Gothi, then began to bow down respectfully. She lowered her head, proving her high regards of the elderly woman. Gothi smiled softly, reaching forward to tilt Astrid's head up. Astrid allowed her chin to be raised, so that she made eye contact with Gothi.

"Are you ready?" she asked politely.

The blonde frowned to herself. Could this be it? Her moment to finally fully prove herself? To prove her worth? She was about to be chief. Nothing could stop her now! Right? She just hoped she didn't make a fool out of herself.

On the outside, though, Astrid kept her cool. She nodded to the elder, smiling slightly.

"Yes," Astrid breathed out.

Stoick grinned at his heir, but couldn't help to remember Hiccup. Was he watching over them in Valhalla? Was he proud of them? Or was he feeling betrayed? Stoick missed his son dearly, and couldn't help but wonder if he was even watching them right now.

"Today, we celebrate the new rising of Berk," Gothi called out, surprisingly loud in her usually-croaky voice. "Today, we celebrate a new era."

Astrid then stayed put in her kneeling position. She kept going over the ceremony plans in her head, making sure she was supposed to stay down.

"Today, we welcome a new chief to our tribe."

Astrid felt her heart pounding in her chest. She felt as though it was hammering, about to burst out from her body. Nervousness was growing higher in her pool of emotions, and she couldn't help but shut her eyes. She could feel her hands start to sweat from anxiousness.

"Astrid Hofferson," Gothi acknowledged. Astrid raised her head, just like she had practiced with Stoick for the chief ceremony. "Do you promise to protect your tribe?"

Astrid breathed through her nose quietly. "Yes," she stated loudly, so that the crowd could hear her. "Yes I do."

Gothi nodded. "Do you promise to protect your tribe, with the cost of your life?"

"Yes, I do," she murmured strongly.

"Then by the power of—"

 _"LOOK!"_ a spontaneous shout came from the crowd. The audience gasped, recognizing the voice as a kid's. It was an innocent-looking boy, who was pointing to the sky.

"Lidio!" a woman, who must have been his mother, snapped.

"No, look! There's dragons!" he shouted once more.

The Vikings gasped, looking around wildly. Astrid followed their gazes, only to see a group of winged beasts approaching Berk.

 _'No!'_ Astrid thought frustratingly to herself. _'I was so close! A couple stupid dragons just had to ruin my ceremony!'_

The crowd instantly jumped into action. Stoick, still technically being chief, began ordering people around.

"Prepare the catapults!" he shouted to his strongest men. He then pointed to a group of mothers. "You four, go protect the children." Next he turned to Gobber and a few of his men. "You five, go protect the livestock!"

The Vikings that were ordered around instantly went to fulfill their tasks. The women raced off to protect the young, while Gobber and his group bolted towards the barn where the livestock were kept. A bunch of the most respected and strongest Vikings were sent to ready the catapults, which they did.

Suddenly, another shout came from Lidio. "They're not attacking! There's something on their backs!"

Stoick gasped. "Dragon riders," he hissed menacingly.

XXX

 **DUH. DUH. DUHNNNNN.**

 **Sorry, couldn't resist. xD Oh, and by the way, I totally made up the chief ceremony lol. Anyways, here's the replies!:**

 **Litwick723:** Lol, does this answer your question? –wiggles eyebrows—

 **Guest:** er, sorry, but the pairing's gonna be hiccstrid. Plus, I'm pretty sure Shadow doesn't have a sister xD And I'm not taking OC requests. Sorry!

 **RainbowToasterCake:** -flips own helmet down- why yes, yes he will have his dramatic flare.

 **Braggy:** Thanks! –throws update at you— here ya go!

 **Guest:** Oh my gosh I HATE when people cancel their stories in the good parts! D: It sucks. Anyways, here's an update! And thanks for reviewing!

 **TomBoyBookGirl:** haha, don't worry, my mom thinks I'm crazy too xD

 **Transformers 0:** Thank you c: and LOL yeah, I haven't decided if that Nadder should have been Stormfly or a random one. XD I just assumed people would ignore that… -laughs nervously-

 **Thanks everyone for the follows, favs, and reviews! It means A LOT!**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH!**

 **Chapter Name:** Not a good first impression…

 **Chapter Summary:** Hiccup returns to Berk. Need I say more?

 **Chapter Rating:** T, for violence and slight depression

 **Chapter Song:** Me, Myself and Time, by Demi Lovato

 **Pairings:** Eventual Hiccstrid (Hiccup x Astrid) and OC x OC (Minx x Jake)

 **Important notes:** This is an AU where Hiccup runs away after the beginning events in the first film. Berk will still have issues with dragons, even after Hiccup has left. Dragonese is spoken like this: _"~italics and with symbols~"_ Regular Norse is "Just simple quotation marks"

 **WARNINGS:** Story includes violence and slight depression

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do NOT own How to Train Your Dragon, nor am I in any way associated with the movies.

XXX

When I awoke the next morning, I realized almost immediately what today was. The day I would return home.

I jumped to my feet, pulling on my clothes quickly. I tripped over my own feet, earning a loud crash. "Oof!" I groaned, falling to the ground. I growled to myself, slowly getting back up and being a little more careful with slipping my clothes on.

Toothless had been watching me the whole time, snickering at my clumsiness. I rolled my eyes, playfully slapping him on the shoulder. "Shut up," I mumbled. He just continued snorting, before finally quieting down.

I quickly snatched my satchel up, racing out of the room. I could hear Toothless' slow footsteps follow after me. He must have still been tired. You would think I would be tired too, seeing as I barely got any sleep from excitement. But no, I was too busy being thrilled to leave.

I heard a couple chuckles come from my right. I turned towards my friends, seeing them already ready to go. "Excited much?" Jake joked.

I rolled my eyes again. "A little," I murmured sarcastically.

We headed towards the kitchen, where Mom was preparing breakfast. I hurriedly gobbled down my breakfast, much to everyone's surprise. I couldn't resist laughing at their stunned faces.

How could I not be excited? I was finally going to be able to go home. I know I ran away, but surely it would be all right if I just checked up on Berk, right? Besides, Hyra was going to be attacking any day now. We had a war to win.

I waited impatiently as everyone else finished up with their eating. I thrummed my fingers on the table, creating a steady beat. My foot tapped urgently, as if I thought I could make them hurry up just by moving my foot. My heart was beating quickly, making me feel slightly sick to my stomach. I couldn't help but begin thinking over the possibilities of what could happen when we reached Berk.

It turns out I had lost myself in a daydream. I snapped my head towards Mom, who was looking at me expectantly. "Uh… what?" I asked dumbly.

They chuckled. "I asked if you were all right," Mom smiled.

"Oh, yeah… just a little nervous," I smiled back. I stood from my seat at the table, putting my empty plate beside the counter, and turning back to Mom. I pulled her into a hug, much to her surprise. She stroked the back of my head, running a hand through my hair.

"Don't worry, Hiccup," she murmured lovingly. "Everything will be fine."

"Alright," I sighed. "Are you sure you can't come with us?"

I felt her nod against the crook of my neck. "Yes," she breathed. "I can't. Remember, I've got to help out the dragons around here. Plus, I can train them."

"Fine," I groaned, dragging the word out.

I pulled back from our embrace, grinning endearingly at her. "Thanks for everything, Mom," I murmured.

She returned the grin. "No, Hiccup. Thank you," she replied.

My smile broadened, before turning back to my friends. "Are we all ready?" I asked. They nodded, giving a few cheers and responses. "Good. Let's go!"

I began strapping on Toothless' tailfin and saddle. The equipment wasn't heavy, much to his relief. I had managed to make the leather light but strong, to where it wasn't heavy but wouldn't rip or be destroyed easily.

I had also managed to make a new helmet. Since the Vikings ripped off half of the old one, I crafted a new one that was stronger. It was a little hotter than the last one, but it worked, right?

I tuned back into reality, climbing onto Toothless. He purred beneath me, as if trying to console my nerves. I then stretched around to face Mom, who was nodding at me.

"I'll miss you," I whispered to her.

"I'll miss you more," she argued playfully.

I chuckled, patting her shoulder. I then pecked a kiss on her cheek, before waving to the other riders. "Everyone ready?" I asked.

"Yup!" they responded.

"Alright, let's go!" I cheered, tapping Toothless' flank with my prosthetic. He sprang into action, leaping into the air. The others followed his lead, their dragons flapping their leathery wings and soaring into the sky.

I began praying to the Gods. I wasn't sure who exactly I was praying too, but I was willing to give it a shot. 'Please let everything go as planned!' I thought to myself.

We flew at a moderate pace. I kept making myself slow down, due to my excitement getting the best of me. I was battling myself, trying to keep a pace that was slow enough for the others to keep up.

I stared ahead with a solemn expression. Scenarios popped into my head of what could happen, most of them being bad. I quickly shook my head, earning a purr from Toothless.

 _"~You all right?~"_ he called.

 _"~Yeah~,"_ I sighed. _"~Well, I just hope everything works out!~"_

He nodded, before continuing to soar across the sky. I glanced back to see Minx and Zander flying alongside Jake and Shadow. From what I had seen, they had gotten pretty close. I could also see Audun and Portal flying to the right, while Ryker and Alter flew to the left.

I turned to face forward again, gripping the saddle tightly. My knuckles began fading to a white color, making me blink. I released his saddle, trying to not hold on too tightly. I needed to relax. Everything would be fine… right? What could possibly go wrong?

 _'Great, now I just jinxed it!'_ I thought stubbornly.

Suddenly, I heard Ryker shout, "There it is!"

I instantly sat up, staring at where he was pointing. Yes, there it was indeed. Berk, looking the same way it did last time I was here. There were several new buildings, though, and the Great Hall was larger than before. The ships were more advanced, and from what I could see there were more people outside, running about.

I frowned when I realized all of those Vikings were gathered in one place. Was there something going on? A ceremony, perhaps? I sighed, straining my ears to listen to the Vikings.

"LOOK!" I heard a kid holler.

I turned back to the others. "Get in formation! Prepare for attacks!"

They instantly followed the order, turning to scramble into their respective places. We had been training for this. The formation was V-shaped. I was in the very front, along with Jake and Shadow to the right, about a yard behind me. To the left was Minx and Zander, who flew about a yard away from me as well. Back towards the third row was Audun and Portal to the left and Ryker and Alter to the right.

We flew as gracefully as possible, hoping to not frighten the Vikings with any sudden moves. I smiled behind my helmet, taking in the beauty of Berk. I could see the forest in the distance, where I had first met Toothless. I had had many adventures in those woods.

I could feel my anxiety steadily creeping up. I couldn't help but frown, feeling as though I was about to be sick to my stomach. My heart pounded against my chest, as if trying to break free of a cage. I could feel my hands beginning to shake, making me begin to panic.

From below me I heard Toothless speak, _"~Relax, Hiccup.~"_

I didn't respond, but tried my best to soothe myself. I let Toothless' words repeat themselves all around my brain, hoping to calm down. It worked, eventually.

I knew the Vikings spotted us on top of our dragons. I could hear angry shouts and hollers, from the Vikings protesting at our appearance. I sighed, rolling my eyes. _'Typical Vikings!'_ I thought to myself.

It was nearly impossible for us to land. With catapults shooting at us, along with several Vikings raising their weapons at us, we had a hard time trying to reach the ground. I held both hands out to the Vikings, showing them I didn't have any weapons in hand. Truth be told, though, I did have a knife made from Gronckle iron, though. They didn't need to know that, though.

When we managed to land, it was because we had frightened them. We used our dragons to light their mouths on fire to scare off the nearby Vikings, which worked perfectly. They backed away without a single sign of hesitation, but their weapons remained in their clutches.

I was the first to land. Toothless and I touched the ground softly, and next came the second row of the V-formation. Jake and Shadow landed at the same time of Minx and Zander. The third row, which consisted of Audun and Portal and Ryker and Alter, landed as well.

I could hear surprised gasps and murmurs come from the crowd. We must have made quite a seen, with people on the backs of dragons. I guess our strange armor caught some attention too, though.

We were all wearing helmets or hoods. Minx wore her gray hoodie, along with a mask underneath. Jake wore a brown hood, with a helmet hiding his face. Ryker wore his red hoodie, with a red mask as well. Audun was wearing his blue hoodie, with a mask, while I wore my black-scaled hood, along with a helmet that concealed my hair and face.

The Vikings began charging, but we made no moves to stop them. They continued racing at us, and I could hear Minx panicking.

 _"~Uh, Hiccup…?~"_ she asked.

 _"~Don't worry~,"_ I responded. _"~Just act cool.~"_

Suddenly, a loud demand came from the back of the crowd. "STOP!" the voice bellowed. The Vikings instantly came to a halt, backing away from us. A burly man made his way to the front, along with a beautiful young woman. And I instantly knew who these two were.

Astrid. Dad.

I gulped, waiting for one of them to speak. "Bonded," Dad finally spoke as calmly as he could. "What are you doing here? You are lucky we don't kill you and your beasts now."

I frowned, before slowly unhooking my prosthetic from the stirrup and sliding off of Toothless. The Vikings instantly lunged forward, prepared to attack. "Relax," I growled loudly, so they could all hear me. "We mean no harm. We came to help."

"Help?" Astrid asked bitterly. "Not only have you betrayed Viking tradition, but you just interrupted a chief ceremony."

I froze, going rigid. Dad was retiring? Who was the new chief?

"Who's the next chief then?" I asked slyly.

"Me."

Astrid. Astrid was the heir to the Hairy Hooligans, and about to be chief. How could I have been so blind? Of course Dad chose Astrid over me. I was so… so weak!

 _'Stop it!'_ a voice argued. _'He thinks you're dead, remember?'_

I cleared my throat to shake my thoughts away. "Well then," I finally murmured. "My apologies, Astrid Hofferson."

"How do you know my name?" she growled.

 _'Crap!'_ "Who doesn't know your name?" I quickly lied.

She scowled, but I could tell she felt proud. I had to resist chuckling at her confidence.

"Why are you here, devil?" Dad snapped.

I snarled, but held back any other signs of anger. "We have come to help you. And this is the thanks we get?"

"We don't need help from anything!" Dad spat.

"Yes, you do, actually," I argued. "Give me a list of your allies."

Dad smirked. He must have thought by listing off his allies would scare us away. Nope.

"With pleasure. We have Drackoo, Hyra—"

"Bingo!" I joked. "Hyra, your worst nightmare."

"Hyra? They are one of our strongest allies," Dad narrowed his eyes threateningly.

"That's what you think," I snapped. "They are the enemy. They are coming here for war."

"Why would they do such a thing?" Astrid asked angrily.

"Because," I responded. "They know of a runaway from Berk, and they're trying to get revenge on him by attacking his home island."

"Runaway?" the crowd gasped.

"No one has ran away from our tribe!" Dad exclaimed proudly.

"Oh really?" I smirked. "What about that poor, innocent little boy that used to belong here?"

"Who're you talking about?" the crowd snarled.

I laughed bitterly. "Nice to see none of you knew the truth of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the third."

The crowd immediately went into a frenzy. They began shouting incoherent things, and gasps broke out. Dad went red in the face, and Astrid went pale. I could see Spitelout, Gobber, Phlegma, Snotlout, the twins, and more people in the crowd. They were all either looked shocked or enraged.

"Hiccup died!" Spitelout argued. "We saw it with our own eyes."

"Did you now?" I asked mockingly. "You never found the body, did you? No traces of clothes, no traces of hair, no evidence of death?"

The crowd instantly halted. They went into shock, silence ruling over the audience.

"There was blood and scales!" Dad roared. "Scales that belong to your… your pet!"

"You're right," I shrugged simply.

They froze, looking confused at my admission. "You're right," I repeated. "Those scales did come from him."

"ARGH!" Dad roared, lunging towards Toothless. I quickly whipped out my Gronckle Iron knife, fending him off.

"Let me finish," I snapped venomously. "Those scales came from this dragon because he did it on purpose. He ran away, away from his burdens and troubles. Why? Did any of you even give him a chance? Did any of you ever treat him right?"

The Vikings either put their heads down, or became angrier. "Look," I added. "What do you see here?" I gestured to Toothless.

"A beast, a devil, and a murderer!" Dad snarled. The crowd agreed by cheering.

"Really?" I asked simply. "Because Hiccup saw an intelligent, loyal creature. One that was his only friend."

"You're a liar!" Astrid roared. "Hiccup died. He's gone, and you're making up nonsense!"

I narrowed my forest-green eyes, staring at her intently through the slits in my helmet.

"Keep telling yourself that, darling," I snapped sarcastically.

I then turned back to Dad. "We didn't come here for this. We came here to train and prepare you all for war."

"You little—"

"LISTEN!" I shouted. "Hyra is a lying clan of bastards. They are tricking you all. They want revenge on Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the third. Why? Because he set their dragons free. Hyra is cursed by a wizard, and they are wanting revenge before they are killed by that curse."

The crowd's eyes narrowed furiously, looking even more angered. "How do you know so much about this? How do we know you're telling the truth?" Dad demanded.

I quickly swallowed, thinking over Toothless' words. _'Remember, if you tell them your identity, they could be killed by Hyra!'_ I reminded myself.

"Because Hiccup told me himself," I finally replied.

Dad finally stopped. He turned to face me, looking expectant. "Is Hiccup really alive?" he whispered hopefully.

"Yes," I sighed. "But not for long. Hyra is going to get revenge on him, and will attack here first."

"Wait," Dad suddenly spoke. "Hyra said the Bonded freed their dragons."

I immediately went tense. Had he figured it out? Did he know my identity?

The crowd went into a tense silence. The tension was strong enough to cut through it with a knife. I was actually tempted to do so, just to get rid of the haunting silence.

"Is Hiccup in your group?" Dad whispered, but the audience heard it anyways.

"Uh…." I trailed off, glancing over to the others.

The crowd watched expectantly, waiting for an answer. I glanced back over to the others, who all looked concerned. Minx shook her head, silently telling me not to give away who I was. When I looked at Jake, he nodded, telling me to expose myself.

I gulped, trying to decide what to do. Should I tell them who I am? Should I give away my identity? Once I did, there was no going back. No re-dos, no pausing, nothing. Once I exposed myself, it would all be over. I couldn't let them know who I was. If I did, they would be attacked sooner by Hyra. I had to keep my existence a secret.

"No," I lied. "No, Hiccup isn't in our group."

XXX

 **GASP. Don't worry guys, I'm planning on –SPOILER– having Hiccup be discovered in the final battle with Hyra. It should make things more interesting. Anyways, thanks all of you guys for all the feedback and stuff! Here's the replies:**

 **RainbowToasterCake:** oh. My. Gosh. I JUST DIED. LOL.

 **Braggy:** Thank you!

 **Litwick723:** Mhm… -slow applause as well-

 **Transformers 0:** yay! :D

 **Angryhenry:** I know right XD

 **Purple Majestic:** Thanks! Yeah, I update quite often

 **Guest:** wow. Another long review. –judges carefully- you are learning, young grasshopper.

 **Review and make my day? Thanks!**


End file.
